The Diary of Bastila Shan
by Lord Darth Master
Summary: KOTOR through the eyes of the Jedi Padawan who fell in love with the reformed Lord of the Sith.
1. Breaking and Entering

The Diary of Bastila Shan

**This fan fiction is a version of KOTOR I and possibly afterwards from the perspective of Bastila Shan. Therefore, it will go into depth about her feelings throughout the game as she travels with Revan, detail her fall to the dark side, and her redemption from her point of view. Some facets of the story will not be identical to the game. In fact, I've already started to expand the romance story. It was written into the game so that you would have enough time to complete it before Bastila was captured. However, if you played with Bastila religiously, as I did in many cases, you would be finished with it by the time you killed Darth Bandon and the story would be dull. Therefore, I will write the romance subplot differently so that it develops after the end in the game. Also, the title implies that this fic is in journal entry form. I assure you that it is not. Please leave all comments you have. I have two other stories that I am focusing on at the moment (The Dark Clone and Lords of the Old Republic) which could use my attention. If another rendition of the game is not appreciated, please tell me so I am not wasting my time. Thank you. And now, I present…**

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THE DISCLAIMER: I don't own KOTOR, KOTOR II, or most of the characters in this fic. I own a few that will be introduced near the end. **

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter I: Breaking and Entering**

Bastila Shan stood back impatiently, clicking her tongue as she watched the newly purchased T3 droid disable the security locks that protected the Sith Embassy from intrusion. Her arms were folded and she carried herself in a rather haughty manner. As far as she was concerned, this plan was a suicide mission. Even if they did manage to steal the codes to bypass the Sith blockade, there was no guarantee that the Mandalorian would keep his word and help them escape Taris. In either case, it would have been far simpler to use a lightsaber to cut through the doors than spend nearly two thousand credits on a droid.

"Half the Sith fleet is searching for you and you don't have the that gang to protect you anymore," her companion had lectured her. "A lightsaber will make you stand out."

There was some logic to his words, but she was still not fond of the idea of not having it. It was sealed away in her footlocker back at the apartment where Carth Onasi and the two aliens they had allied themselves with were waiting. He had been vehemently against the idea of having it with them. Any Sith trooper could tell that Carth and the others weren't Jedi, but her Force sensitivity would draw some attention if she was caught with a Jedi weapon. The others could fabricate some story about finding it or buying it in the lower city.

She was still suspicious though. Despite his actions in rescuing her from that swoop gang, Bastila could not forget whom it was that she was working with. The taint of the dark side no longer vexed his features and his very appearance seemed different than it had a month before, but the man was still Darth Revan. He had proven that the man he was before was still alive in many respects. His skill in combat had not diminished much since his mind wipe and he was just as calculating and analytical as he had been. If parts of the old Sith Lord remained, there was no telling if his memories might resurface with time. That could prove problematic.

Still, he didn't seem evil anymore. As she looked at him, he seemed very intent on the droid. His demeanor was casual and everything about him was calm. There didn't appear to be anything sinister about him, yet she knew what he was capable of. She had walked the surface of worlds he had decimated as the Dark Lord. During the early phases of her training, her master had introduced her to the Jedi historian, Atris and her servants. All of the young girls who served the Jedi Master were the daughters of the Echani general, Yusanis. Each one had displayed fierce combat skills, gifts that they had inherited from their father. How could the Dark Lord have overcome a warrior that was so talented?

She couldn't voice her opinion on this matter, of course. All memories of his time as the Dark Lord were gone. Revan now believed that he was a soldier that worked for the Republic. If one were to ask him for a name, he would give them "Derik Crownguard." An entire identity had been created for him. A new history and false memories served to replace those that had been lost. As far as he could recall, he had grown up on Derallia with a mother and a father. His secondary education had taken place off world, separating him from his parents. Word had reached him when he was eighteen that his mother had died and his father passed away shortly afterwards. Having no place to go, he enlisted with the military as a raw recruit and served during the Mandalorian Wars. By the time the current war broke out, he had already become a seasoned soldier and had reached the rank of ensign.

Now he firmly believed that it was his duty as an officer to help her escape this doomed world and continue with the war effort. The Republic had no power on Taris. The swoop gangs and the Sith occupation forces had taken complete control. The embassy that had been used by Republic personnel was raided after the crash of the _Endar Spire _and the Jedi Temple hadn't been inhabited since the Battle of Malachor V. "From what Carth has told me of your Battle Meditation," he had said to her. "you don't have the power to get us passed the Sith blockade. We need to get you off this world so your powers can be put to better use." It was so strange that the man who had attempted to kill her several months ago was now fighting against the campaign he had launched.

"I think the droid's done," he commented.

The young Jedi Padawan snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him. "I beg your pardon," she stammered.

The former Sith Lord nodded his head towards the door where the small utility droid was waiting idly. It had disconnected from the input terminal and the red light that had indicated that the door was locked had been replaced by a pale green glow. The droid reversed towards them and turned back to face Revan. "T3-M4," he said in a stern commanding voice. "I want you to return to the apartment. Have the others head to Javyar's Cantina in the lower city and meet up with Canderous Ordo. We'll rendezvous with them shortly."

The droid beeped an affirmative and the disk that made up its head nodded. It sped off down the elevated street that made up most of the city of Taris. The rehabilitated Sith turned to face Bastila and nodded. "Have you ever been involved in an infiltration mission?" he asked. The padawan fixed him with an obvious stare, which he waved away with his hand. "That involved undercover work," he added.

"What do you mean by undercover?" she asked.

"I don't plan on walking in with lasers blazing," he explained. "If we can blend in, I'd be grateful."

"You plan on negotiating with the Sith?" she gasped horrified.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," he replied as he adjusted the belt that wrapped around his waist. "Keep in mind, I'm a very charismatic fellow, but you shouldn't let your guard down."

Bastila rolled her eyes at this. The Jedi Council's had implanted a rather eccentric personality. His skills had given him a confidence that bordered on arrogance. It wasn't as if he couldn't back up his words with action. He was a very gifted individual, both in combat and in diplomacy. For example, the most poverty stricken portions of Taris were plagued by creatures known as rakghouls. The saliva of a rakghoul contained a venom, which acted as a medium between the beast and a host. If a sentient being came into contact with the venom, it would contract the Rakghoul Disease, which would eventually cause the host to mutate into a rakghoul. The epidemic of Rakghoul Disease had steadily weakened the Tarisian economy and caused the death of millions. It wasn't until recently that a cure for the virus had been developed, which the Sith had promptly confiscated and produced for themselves. The nobles who ran Taris had more than enough credits to pay for the serum, but the poor devils in the undercity who needed it were out of luck. By sheer luck, Revan had come across a sample when rummaging through the remains of a Sith patrol that had been set upon by rakghouls.

Once they returned to the upper city after the Swoop Competition, Revan took the serum to a man named Dr. Zelka Forn. The medical expert had proven his loyalty to the Republic by placing dying Republic soldiers in numbing kolto tanks and keeping them hidden from the Sith. There had been no question of what Forn would do with the serum. Bastila had fully agreed with the decision to hand it over to him. What she hadn't known at the time was that Zelka's lab assistant, a grubby two faced crook named Gurney, had approached them with an offer. A Hutt named Zax had offered a reward for anyone who could provide him with a sample of the serum. The treacherous lab worker had informed the crime lord that the man who won the Swoop race had sold the serum to someone else. Naturally, a bounty had been placed on Revan's head. The offer had been for two thousand credits, which was enough to entice any bounty hunter on the backwater rock where they lived.

Taking refuge with the Hidden Beks, Revan had decided to take action against Zax. He and the Wookiee, Zalbaar, had gone into Javyar's cantina in disguise and made their way to Zax's parlor. After killing some of the best bounty hunters on Taris and putting a blade to his throat, the Hutt quickly repealed the bounty. The former Sith Lord also made a deal with the slug-like creature to prevent him from going back on his word. The Twi'lek that traveled with them, Mission Vao, sliced into the Tarisian Planetary Bank and rerouted certain funds that were forwarded to Davik Kang to the Hutt's account. Compared to the thousands of credits that poured into Kang's account on a weekly basis, the money that was being stolen was nothing. In contrast to the poor amount that Zax made by himself, the Hutt was now making a fortune.

Bastila had not been in agreement with this form of appeasement however. It had led to a lengthy debate between herself and the former war hero about morals and the Jedi code. While "Derik Crownguard" had a great deal of respect for the Jedi and their code, he could not agree with the methods Bastila would have chosen. Hiding from such a threat would have made them targets for every hunter on the planet, not to mention the attention it would draw from the Sith. Decisive action had been a necessity. He had argued that the Jedi policy of inaction opposed the morals that the order stood for.

The Padawan remembered paling when he said those words. They had a very familiar ring to them. The Jedi didn't move quick enough for Revan. Even his new identity seemed to believe so. Last time he had come to that conclusion, it led to the bloody end of one war and the even bloodier start of another. What if he managed to maneuver his way into another position of influence? The other companions that they had surrounded themselves with seemed to think very highly of him. He still had the ability to inspire loyalty. His flawed beliefs could still be a threat, even if the man who had formed them was gone.

Still, she could not deny that his negotiation skills were useful. She didn't understand what he hoped to gain by using diplomacy with the Sith, but he was a better tactician than she was, though she loathed it admit it. If the risk of battle could be avoided and they could escape Taris quickly, it would be worth it. Therefore, it was with a prayer to the Force that the young Jedi nodded in reply to her companion. His haughty attitude could grow tiresome after awhile, but she trusted in his military experience.

She watched as Revan moved to activate the door to the Sith Embassy. Without a sound, the two metal doors slid open sleekly and they entered the elevator. The door closed behind them and the lift began to rise slowly. They both took note of a camera that recorded their every move within the elevator. The time for discussion was over. They could no longer communicate unless it was coded and neither she had not considered creating a signal to use.

This though entered her mind as the door slid open and they walked into the small lobby. A small desk with a yellow skinned Twi'lek woman sat in the very center of the room. There were two doors in the room, not counting the one that they had entered. One was up against the western wall, while the other was against the northern one. Bastila could sense a small group of troops to her left, while there was nothing in the room in front of them. It was probably a hallway of some sort.

"What are you doing here?" the Twi'lek woman screeched as the two approached her.

Bastila panicked. There was nothing they could do. They had been caught. They had to go along with her original plan, which was to fight and subdue all forces within the base. Her hand fell to the sword at her hip, which she drew from its scabbard.

"No!" Revan cried to her.

It was too late. The secretary had already pressed the silent alarm and triggered all of the embassy's defenses. He swore angrily as the door to their left opened and six fully armed Sith troops poured into the room.

"Get down," he ordered as he dived behind the desk to avoid blaster fire.

The Padawan followed his example and dove under the desk. Her sword was useless at this range. The only thing she could do was wait for them to come at her. She had fallen into a corner and had no way of escaping.

She could see Revan from where she had hidden. He had his back to the side of the desk and was using it as a shield against the volley of blaster bolts that the Sith were firing on him. A heavily modified standard issue Republic blaster pistol was in his right hand. He quickly placed a new power pack into the weapon and sealed it. Taking a deep breath, he rolled out from behind the desk and let his fingers do the thinking. Three shots were fired and each one found its mark. The heated plasma that the blaster fired struck one in the forehead, one in the neck, and one in the heart. Each one caused an instant kill, causing all three of the Sith troops to collapse.

In order to prevent a longer drawn out firefight in which he would be outnumbered and outgunned, Revan quickly pulled a small spherical object from his belt and tossed it at the gold armored assailants. It struck the ground amidst them and the small explosive rock in that was contained within the shell ignited, causing a small explosion. Pieces of the grenade went flying. Shrapnel pierced the armor of the three remaining soldiers. They died soon afterwards.

Bastila shrank away as Revan turned to her furiously. The look in his eyes scared her. It wasn't murderous, but it was definitely violent. He was angry with her and had every right to be. Still, a Jedi needed to control his or her emotions. If he couldn't prove capable of doing such, the council would never approve the suggestion to retrain him once they reached Dantooine.

Strangely, the dark side presence she felt within him subsided. He took a long deep breath and seemed to regain control of himself. She watched him close his eyes and breath for a moment, as if waiting for something. When he opened his eyes, he seemed less frightening. He offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted, allowing him to pull her from beneath the desk.

"You can't react so quickly," he warned her. "I hate to say it, but you blew it."

She nodded guiltily at his words. It was true. It had been his intention to avoid a violent conflict. The Sith Lord had been the advocate of a peaceful resolution while she, the Jedi, had escalated the problem into a full-scale battle. What had she been thinking?

"Don't beat yourself up too much," he advised.

Without looking at her, Revan walked up to the unopened door and activated the panel beside it. With the same silence as the other two doors, it slid open and he entered the long hallway. The exploration of every room along the hall caused a bit of a delay. Nearly twenty Sith troops died and they received only superficial wounds, such as cuts and scrapes. The room at the end of the corridor was of more interest.

Now, the Padawan had grown up on Dantooine and as such had had little reason to associate with the Duros race. They rarely came to Dantooine, seeing as how they were mostly involved with space exploration. So little affiliation had given her little reason to study them. She knew neither their ways, nor their language. Therefore, the shrieking Duros in the room puzzled her. It was clear that he was in pain, mostly because of the force cage he was in, but she couldn't translate its words.

Revan could.

"This Duros helped Carth and I," he explained as he went over to the wall panels and began to adjust them. "He owns the apartments where we've been living. The Sith attempted to cause a problem and I dealt with it. He hid their bodies after Carth finished them. They caught up with him a few days ago and he's been in this cage ever since."

"That's terrible," she said for lack of a better answer.

The cage deactivated as Revan adjusted one more switch and the alien stepped free. It said something to the both of them in its native tongue, but she couldn't catch it. Again, her companion was more than capable of understanding and carrying on a conversation. After a few minutes, the Duros left and she turned to her ally.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He's naming his children after us," he explained as he pressed forward.

The Sith Governor who resided on the highest floor of the base was an imposing figure. It was not his physical build, though that was quite a sight in itself. He was a towering man, easily over six feet tall. His head had been shaved, leaving no trace of the hair that had once been there. A silver breast plate provided protection to his upper body, while reinforced polymesh pants served to defend his lower half. A double sided vibroblade was on the ground beside him. This weapon was his most cherished possession. Without a lightsaber, it was all he had. Each day, he spent a great deal of time tending it. The blades were polished almost daily and he sharpened the serrated edges at least once a week. Small, but powerful vibration cells had been planted at the base of each blade, which was enhanced by the battery in the hilt. The battery charged the cells, causing an electric charge to tingle throughout the weapon. This made sure that nonfatal injuries inflicted by the weapon would cause the utmost pain. Still, it was not his appearance or his weapon that was the most terrifying, but the Force energy that he radiated. He was more than just an apprentice. This was one of Darth Malak's feared marauders. Albeit, he was a low level marauder. No Sith would openly choose to wield a sword, even a heavily and illegally modified sword over a lightsaber. Still, Bastila was certain that this Dark Jedi had the potential to become one of Malak's fiercest warriors. He was young, but he would become more powerful if he had the chance. He sat in a medatitve position, legs crossed, while his head was bowed in deep thought. His concentration on the Force exemplified his lust for the power the dark side would bring to him.

The sound of the elevator door behind him, despite its almost silent opening, was enough to wake him. He stood up and looked at the two intruders carefully as they approached. "Who dares to break my meditation?" he demanded. "I will make you pay for interrupting my…" He trailed off as he inspected Revan. His eyes narrowed and he smiled as he looked at the former Dark Lord of the Sith. Bastila's eyes widened as dread filled her. Did this Dark Jedi recognize him? What would happen if he did realize who he was? "I did not expect to find any Force adepts on this backwater world." He chuckled as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps my master will finally reward me with my lightsaber."

"Just try it," Revan sneered as he drew the sword that was sheathed at his hip. Bastila drew her own weapon and fell into a Jedi combat stance. The Dark Jedi fell back into his own form. The Jedi Padawan quickly analyzed his movements and deduced that he was using a version of Ataru, an aggressive lightsaber form, that had been modified to suit a double bladed weapon. As a practitioner of double bladed forms, she knew how dangerous they could be if used correctly. However, if the wielder was improperly trained, the forms could be deadly to the one using them. His style seemed to have a few holes in it, which she could exploit.

"Stand back," she advised Revan knowing that he had no way of enhancing his dueling skills with the Force at this point. "This is a Jedi conflict. You'd only get in the way."

She quickly delved into her pool of Force energy and used it to enhance her endurance, allowing her to push her body harder. It became apparent when she began moving at speeds that would be very difficult for an average human to reach. She circled her foe quickly, poking at the gaps in his technique in order to test him. He seemed to be aware of his flawed moves and compensated by moving both his blade and body to protect himself, whereas he should have only been using the blade.

She twirled in an elegant circle and tried to bring the sword into his head with a vertical swipe. He deflected the strike by positioning his dual sword vertically. He spread his legs, allowing his right foot to slip into Bastila's. This caused her to trip up, sending her to the floor on her back.

The Dark Jedi grunted as he extended his hand and used the Force to push her against the ground. Her head slammed back and hit the ground painfully, while the rest of her body was crushed by the downward force. At this point, Revan intervened. He ran towards the two Force users and kicked the bald Sith governor in the stomach. The blow was not a painful one, but it cause his enemy to stumble backwards. This gave the Jedi Padawan the chance she needed to jump to her feet.

"Together," Revan ordered.

"Now!" she agreed.

Both the reformed Sith Lord and the young Jedi moved to attack the Sith with a series of speedy blows and strikes. It required a great deal of assistance from the Force to keep up with the two humans, which drained their opponent of his strength. His moves slowly became less precise. Life saving blocks began to occur only at the last possible second. She could tell he was about to cave in. Ataru wasn't meant to be used as a defensive form. Using it as such was taxing him heavily. The amount of Force energy it was probably sapping from him gave Bastila and Revan a distinct advantage.

"Ugh!" the Jedi grunted as she flung her arm forward with Force energy behind it.

The Sith grunted as he slid backwards from the Force attack that hit him. "Go!" She yelled at Revan.

With a loud battle cry, Revan leapt forward and drove his sword through the Sith Governor's armor and into his stomach. With as much haste as he could, he withdrew the weapon and swung it again in a horizontal slash, cleaving the bald head from the Dark Jedi's shoulders.

The head bounced along the ground as it landed and rolled into the wall, pouring blood onto the ground, which began to pool. The two glanced at each other, ignoring the gruesome sight that they had created. Bastila stood up and walked over to the body. She unbuckled the belt around the dead Sith's waist and tossed it on the ground, before she began to rummage through the various pouches and pockets. She soon found a small chip, which she could only assume was the access codes to get passed the blockade.

"Did you bring a datapad?" she asked Revan.

"Yeah," he replied as he dropped his pack onto the ground. He began to sift through the various items he had accumulated since arriving on Taris. Soon he pulled out a small device, which he tossed to her. She caught it deftly and inserted the chip into a small input port. The screen lit up for a moment before text came up. She nodded in satisfaction.

"We've got what we came for," she informed him.

"Wait," he said as he slung his pack back over his back. We don't know how long it will take Canderous to get us off of Taris," he pointed out.

"Or if he will at all," she added.

"We might still be here for some time."

"What's your point?"

Revan gestured impatiently at the corpse of the man they had just killed. "There's security footage of us destroying everything in this building. We need to cover our tracks."

"How?"

The former Sith Lord chuckled evilly. "I'm glad you asked."

--

"…absolutely moronic!" Bastila shrieked as she and Revan entered Javyar's Cantina in the lower city of Taris.

The Jedi Padawan was still very angry regarding her companion's choice to "cover their tracks." He had led her to the main control room of the embassy, where power was controlled and distributed throughout the facility. Without explaining his plan, he had proceeded to adjust programs and activate the building's failsafe. The only warning Bastila had been given was by the automated speaker that kept track of all of the building's functions. It had warned her that the system was unstable and the power core would implode in four minutes.

She was still quite shaken by the blast, which had rocked all of upper Taris. Her hands still twitched in shock and anger, which was a source of endless amusement to the former Jedi and Sith. He walked ahead of her, deeper into the cantina and proceeded to search for their other companions. The astromech droid had clearly delivered the message to Carth, as the star pilot was sitting at a table with Gelrood, a professional gambler, playing pazaak.

"Fifty credits," Gelrood demanded as he tossed his hand on the table.

With a clear hint of annoyance, the Republic soldier tossed a credit chip onto the table and began to reshuffle his desk. Revan came up to the older man and whispered something into his ear, which Bastila couldn't hear. Carth suddenly looked very angry and stood up. He grabbed his deck and walked away with his companion, allowing the gambler to collect the small pile of credit chips on the table.

Carth was swearing colorfully as he came into earshot. He looked up at the Padawan and nodded in acknowledgement. "Cheating bastard," he commented. "Where are Mission and Zalbaar?"

Revan nodded in the general direction of the bounty room. "Look," he said with a slight smile. Carth and Bastila looked over to see Canderous Ordo sitting at a table outside of the bounty office with Mission and Zalbaar. The Wookiee was standing behind him, while the Twi'lek was sitting in front of him, chatting away mercilessly. The Mandalorian looked about ready to commit murder.

"Canderous," Revan greeted as he approached.

The three sitting at the table looked up with different reactions. Zalbaar seemed indifferent, having known that his master would be safe regardless of the danger involved in the mission. Mission didn't seem concerned, but was excited to see him nonetheless. She jumped up from her table. "Derik!" she cried as she threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. He put his arm around her and gave a soft pat on the back. Canderous's eyes showed the relief he felt at seeing the Swoop Champion of Taris.

"Quite a scene you caused," he commented as Revan took the seat Mission had been occupying. "I know you have the code."

"I do. How do we go about getting off world?"

Bastila turned to Carth while the Mandalorian conversed with the former Sith Lord. "Carth," she whispered to him urgently. "Did you bring my lightsaber from the apartment?"

The star pilot nodded and led her over to an empty table. He set his pack down on the table and opened it. A long object, which was wrapped in a dark cloth stuck out amongst the blaster and med supplies that he had packed away. Bastila took this item and hid it in her own pack.

"I felt awkward the entire time I had it in my pack," he commented.

"I'm not surprised," she replied. "Over time, a Jedi's lightsaber will begin to absorb some of the Force energy that its owner emits and becomes Force sensitive. That's why Jedi are so attached to their own lightsaber. It has some of their own life energy inside of it. Anyways, that's probably what you felt."

Carth paused for a moment before answering. "Actually, I was just scared the button would hit something and the thing would cut me in half while I was walking."

"Oh." Bastila chuckled at the Republic soldier's words. "Now that I think about it," she teased. "I'm surprised it didn't."

Carth's eyes widened, causing her to laugh inwardly to herself. The joke was interrupted when Revan returned, Canderous at his side. "We have a plan," he said to the two.

"Canderous is going to go back to his private hold and pick up some supplies. Meanwhile, I want to take Mission to the Emporium and get her some new equipment. She won't last long in a fire fight without it."

"Hasn't she already?" Bastila asked.

"She was fine against a pack of Gamorreans," he admitted. "They didn't have blasters. I want her prepped to fight seasoned soldiers."

"Why? Are we walking into another brawl?" Carth asked.

"We're walking into Davik Kang's estate," Canderous answered. Carth paled, while Bastila looked at all three men in confusion. "Davik has a ship in his estate called the Ebon Hawk. It's the fastest ship on the rim and we'll need it to get passed Sith ships even after we get passed the blockade turrets."

"Derik," the older man said seriously. "Mission… I know she's been through a lot for someone her age, but she's just a kid."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Revan advised.

"Look, I think we should consider leaving her and Zalbaar behind. They'll be safer here on Taris."

"No," Canderous disagreed. "The Wookiee would be useful in a fight and I don't think we can separate them."

"Not only that, but I don't want to leave them on a Sith world. They'll tighten their grip on this world because of what happened to their embassy," the reformed Sith Lord stated. "I want them to come with us."

"I agree," Bastila chipped in. "Besides, I sense Malak is growing impatient. Taris may not be around much longer."

"Alright," Carth gave in. "Still, she'll need more cover than the rest of us."

"Zalbaar will take care of that," Revan assured him.

"Shall we be off then?" the Jedi asked.


	2. Theft

The Diary of Bastila Shan

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter II: Theft**

It felt rather awkward, being on display before one of the most powerful crime lords on Taris. Ever since she had been a child, the Jedi had warned her against this sort of man. Despite his plain look, Davik Kang was a killer. Ever since arriving on this urban world, Bastila had heard his name from all sorts of people. The Exchange boss had been involved with the buying and selling of slaves, a practice which was illegal in the Republic. Young girls, even those who had not reached their teen years, were sold for sexual purposes in the lower cities. He had a hand in spice trade and prostitution affairs. Smuggling was one of his primary sources of income. All of this made the young Jedi's skin crawl. She could barely contain herself. She wanted to punish him. He deserved it. It would be justice. The Jedi were the enforcers of justice in the galaxy. Letting him live almost seemed to be a crime against her moral code.

"The Jedi do not kill those who cannot defend themselves."

The words of her master rang clear in her mind and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to take deep breaths. She needed to be calm. Her master had not trained her to act irrationally. A controlled temper and an analytical approach were the best ways to solve any problem. A quick analysis was more than enough reason to advise patience in this situation. Darth Malak was getting more and more impatient as the days went on. Soon, he would not be able to wait any longer. His search to find her would end with the bloody death of every single person on Taris. Stealing, even from a criminal was against her moral code, but she needed Malak to know that she was off of the urban world. If he realized that she had escaped, billions would be spared his wrath. Stealing was wrong, but letting an overpopulated planet's people die was worse. Aside from that, the war was still going on in other parts of the galaxy. The Republic needed her Battle Meditation to help them defeat the Sith forces, but she couldn't help them from where she was. Trillions would die as Malak continued to conquer more worlds without her intervention.

She looked up and faced the crime lord. Her mind was clear. She wouldn't kill him if she could avoid it, but stealing the Ebon Hawk was her goal. Besides, taking the star freighter would slow down Davik's crime traffic once the Sith blockade was removed, which she would fight for once she was off world.

"So, Canderous, you've brought some people with you," the crime lord mused as he studied the group before him. "Most intriguing, if I do say so myself. You usually travel alone."

"It's not like you to take on partners, Canderous. You're getting soft," Davik's aid jeered as he folded his arms.

Bastila took in the aid's appearance at a glance. He was much shorter than the average man. He was barely above five feet tall, but he spoke with a confidence that somehow suited him. He was dressed in simple clothes, though it was somewhat strange that he wore goggles and kept his head covered. Most men wouldn't consider wearing such warm attire this time of year on Taris. What caught her eye were the two Mandalorian blaster pistols that were holstered on either side of his belt. At the moment, her lightsaber was still safely in her pack and none of them had any way of deflecting blaster bolts.

"Watch yourself Calo," Canderous sneered. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you aren't top dog yet!"

The threat that the Mandalorian's words carried were lost on the Jedi Padawan. She was more intent on what he had called the shorter man. "Calo." She thought to herself. She suddenly realized who he was. This was Calo Nord, the infamous bounty hunter. Her fists suddenly clenched. His accuracy with a blaster was spoken of amongst Jedi when they were training with lightsabers. His presence could prove problematic.

"Enough!" Davik interjected between the two. "I won't have my top two men killing each other. That's not good business." The crime lord turned to the shorter of the two men. "I'm sure Canderous has an explanation as to why he's not working solo anymore."

"This is a special case, Davik," the Mandalorian assured him. "I ran into someone who the Exchange might be interested in. You might have heard something of his exploits already," he said with a gesture towards Revan, who had adopted his most confident air.

"Ah, yes. I recognize your companion now. You're the rider who won the big swoop race. A very impressive display, as was your display in the rather heated cattle afterwards."

Bastila couldn't help but frown at what had been said. True, Revan's participation in the battle had been unavoidable and true he had performed quite well, but that didn't compare to the brutality of it. While she had faced the thugs that had rallied to Brejik's cause, he had faced the gang leader alone. Both had been relentless, but Revan had been vivacious. Afterwards, he had chocked it up to the adrenaline from the race, but she wasn't convinced.

To make matters worse, Revan was smiling. He seemed proud of how he had handled the situation. "It was nothing I couldn't handle," he said carelessly as if he had just swatted a fly.

"Well, with a recommendation from Canderous and a thorough background check you could become part of the Exchange. Many would kill to prove themselves worthy of this honor."

"I'm interested," the former Sith Lord replied with a nod.

"Come with me," Davik said as he clapped the younger man on the back. "I will give you a tour of my operations. I'm sure you will be most impressed. However, I must insist that your crew remain in the guest quarters."

Revan turned to all of them and shrugged. "Very well," he replied. "Do as you are ordered," he told all of them.

"I'm coming with you," Bastila interjected as she stepped forward.

All eyes in the room turned to face her. Carth and Canderous were cringing, while Mission and Zalbaar watched uncertainly. Calo seemed rather uninterested, but Davik appeared to be annoyed. Revan was the first to speak. "You as you are ordered," he snapped at her. His eyes sent her the warning that he tried to imply with his words. His muscles had clenched in what all perceived to be anger, but she could sense the desperation inside of him. She had nearly blown their cover, which was an inexcusable mistake. She retreated a step and nodded.

"I apologize," she muttered.

As she and the others were being led away, she could hear Davik, Canderous, and Revan conversing about her. "She makes up for her arrogance in battle," the former Dark Lord was explaining.

Once the companions were alone in their own quarters, she fell into a chair and groaned. "That was a pretty rookie mistake for a Jedi," Carth commented as he approached her. "Don't worry. Derik knows what he's doing."

"I know," she replied coldly.

"He hasn't let us down since we got here. I don't think he will now."

"I hope you're right," she muttered to herself.

It was quite some time before anything happened. The door slid open and Revan, Canderous, Calo Nord, and Davik came into the room. "These will be your accommodations during your stay. If you need anything during your stay –food or a massage – the slave quarters are just down the hall. Feel free to call upon their services, day or night. If all goes well with your background check, you will be invited to join the Exchange. I'd advise you to accept the offer when it comes, or suffer the dire consequences of refusal."

"Well I look forward to working with you, Davik," Revan said as he came in and took an apple from one of the fruit bowls on the table.

"You will stay in these quarters as my personal guests for the next few days. I will not accept no for an answer. I must warn you, however, that if you are found outside of the guest wing during your stay or if you bother my other guests, my security forces will deal with you harshly. I will return after the investigation into your background is complete. Until then, make yourselves comfortable." He turned to Calo Nord and nodded. "Come Calo, let's leave our guests in peace."

The doors slid shut after the two left and everyone in the room turned to face each other. Canderous was the first to speak. "Alright, we're inside. Now all we have to do is find a way to get around the Ebon Hawk's defenses and we're off this planet."

"Defenses?" Mission asked.

"Davik's had a security system installed to protect the ship from thieves like us," Revan explained. "He showed us how it works. We can't touch the ship until the shields are down."

"Typical," Bastila sighed. "Let's get the codes."

"I saw the muscle he has protecting this place," the former Jedi and Sith Lord said as he drew his sword from its scabbard. "Bastila, the time to hide is over. Use your lightsaber."

The Jedi Padawan nodded. As she took the Jedi weapon from her pack, she sincerely hoped that it wouldn't come down to using it, though that hope rarely became a reality in her life. She looked around as everyone in the room pulled out his or her weapon. Revan had chosen to use the modified vibroblade that he had bought from the Emporium when they went to purchase Mission's new armor. Canderous's obvious choice was the hulking heavy repeater he carried. Carth drew both of his pistols from their holsters, while Zalbaar took the safety off of his bowcaster. Mission selected a single heavy blaster pistol that they had bought from Kebla as well. T3-M4 rolled along with them with no obvious form of defense, but the Twi'lek who had sold them the droid had assured them that it would be handy in a firefight.

She did not activate her saberstaff as the group came out of the room. They began down the halls, wandering about. A shrill scream quickly attracted their attention. They all surrounded the door from where the scream originated. Another one followed, but Revan, Canderous, and Carth all stopped, having realized what it was. Bastila, somewhat more naïve than the others, opened the door and went in.

She was shocked at the scene before her. "Oh," she stammered when she realized that it had not been a cry of pain, but of pleasure. Before her, a green skin Twi'lek was lying in bed with a human male who was looking up at her in horror. Both had stopped at the intrusion and were now at a loss for what to do. The Twi'lek regained her senses and shoved the man off of her.

"Servants aren't allowed to be outside of the slave quarters," she cried as she picked up her discarded garments and fled.

"No! Wait baby!" the man cried as he stood up.

Bastila turned away as the man pulled on his trousers and stepped back into the group. All three of the men were barely containing their mirth as they looked at her, while Mission was giggling profusely.

"How despicable," was all Bastila could say.

"Alright, now that you've cost me my date for the night, would you like to explain what the hell you were doing?" the man inside of the room demanded.

"I apologize," the Jedi said as her face turned bright red. "I didn't realize… I assumed that…"

"You can explain it to Davik's security," the man said as he went for the intercom.

"No wait!" she cried as she stepped forward.

Before either the Jedi or the man could react, the sound of a heavy repeater rang in everyone's ears and four shots landed in his back. He collapsed against the wall, dead. The Padawan spun around to see what was happening. Canderous was lowering his weapon. It took a moment before anyone could comprehend what had just happened. An explosion of angry protests went off.

"What were you thinking?" cried Bastila.

"Why did you do that?" Mission screamed.

"Are you psychotic?" Carth growled.

"There was no need to kill him," Zalbaar moaned.

"He wasn't a threat," Revan said calmly once the others had subsided.

"Not a threat?" the Mandalorian repeated. "He would have brought Davik's entire security force down on our heads."

"There were plenty of ways to deal with him without killing him!" the Jedi snapped. "The Jedi do not kill those who cannot defend themselves!"

"Hey sister, I ain't a Jedi!" the Mandalorian pointed out.

"No," she agreed. "You are not. A Jedi has to be skilled and compassionate."

"Skilled?" he repeated disbelievingly. "From what I heard, the Vulkurs captured you without much of a struggle. It must be embarrassing to be bested by a handful of street thugs."

"There were extenuating circumstances," she retorted. "And I can assure you that it took far more than a 'handful' of Vulkurs to subdue me!" Her pride dictated her words in this matter. It was true. She had been quite shaken from the crash of her escape pod. She hadn't been lying about the unusual circumstances of the situation, but there had not been that many assailants. She hadn't counted, but there couldn't have been more than five. Still, it was little wonder that the gang had been able to take her without much of a challenge. The crash and the battle aboard the Endar Spire had taxed her heavily. Despite all of this, there was no way she was going to let this murderous Mandalorian justify his actions by pointing out false flaws in her.

"Alright, let's not get into this," Carth interjected.

"Whatever you say," the former Neo-Crusader said with a shrug. "All I'm saying is that if we had more Jedi like Bastila fighting against in the Mandalorian Wars, my side might not have lost."

"Bold talk coming down from a broken-down mercenary who was serving at Davik's heel. I'd call you his pet Kath Hound, but they had enough loyalty not to turn on their masters," she shot back angrily.

"Insults?" Canderous snarled as he took a violent step towards her, causing Revan to intervene himself between the two. "Maybe if your master had trained your lightsaber to be as quick as your tongue, you could have escaped those Vulkars, you spoiled little Jedi Princess!"

He had crossed a line.

"I was not spoiled!" she shouted. "I was given the same training as everyone else in the order! You are nothing but a…" she trailed off. Her Jedi training took hold of her and she stopped. She took several deep breaths and sighed. "No," she said harshly. "I must not do this." Her mind began to recite the Jedi Code to herself and she even voiced the first part of it. "There is no emotion, there is peace."

"That's the problem with you Jedi," he scoffed. "Always chanting about peace! Never up for a good fight!" He started to walked away. "Well, except for Revan I guess," he added as an afterthought.

Bastila's eyes involuntarily flickered over towards the former Sith Lord, who was completely unaware that the conversation had taken a turn towards him. They moved back to Canderous. "Enough, Mandalorian!" she said threateningly. "I will not rise to your bait any more. The game is done."

Canderous seemed to have other ideas about that. "No," he continued as he turned back to her. "You didn't join the Jedi back when the wars started did you? You were a coward!"

Carth clenched his fist and walked up to the mercenary. "Canderous, knock it off," he ordered.

"What about you, Carth?" he said, swiftly turning the argument from the Jedi to the soldier. "You fought in the wars. We may have even faced each other in combat. What battles were you in?"

The pilot shook his head. "I try not to think about my past battles too much. The horrors of war are something I'd rather not relive. I envy Bastila for staying out of the war."

"The horrors of war?" the Mandalorian repeated disbelievingly. "My people know only the glory of battle! I'm disappointed in you, Carth! I would have thought a warrior like you would understand where I'm coming from!"

"Carth isn't like you, Canderous," Mission pointed out.

"I am not a warrior," the pilot said forcefully. "I'm a soldier! There is a difference! Warriors conquer. They prey on the weak. Soldiers protect the innocent from harm… mostly from warriors."

"Nice speech," he returned. "I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. I accept who I am and don't have to justify it with words! Victory in battle is my justification!"

Everyone in the room was looking at Canderous as though he were a diseased rodent. Their looks of discuss were not enough to dissuade him however, which Bastila found revolting. How could a man cling so strongly to such flawed convictions? It was so obvious that he was in the wrong. Why couldn't he accept it? And how had all of this started? One man? Had it really been one man's death that had led to this conflict amongst them. The man hadn't even been an innocent. He had been taking advantage of a slave in a sexual manner. Was his death really worth this much fuss?

No! Of course it was! He may not have been a good man, but he had been an innocent. What had she been thinking? She instantly regretted her misguided and rather dark thoughts. What kind of Jedi was she if she began to see the life of any man or woman as better off dead? She knew exactly what kind of Jedi that made her; a Sith.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Canderous," Carth was saying with a sigh. "The war is over. You lost. Now let's go. That ship isn't going to steal itself."

The crew began to move forward, but the Jedi stayed behind a moment to look at the dead body inside of the small guest room. With a sigh, she turned away and continued on. The others had moved ahead, but Revan was still standing had not moved through the door ahead, which led into the foyer of Davik's estate. She looked up at him, not sure of what he was thinking. The Force bond that had developed between them seemed to be intact, though she hadn't felt it since the dreams that had occurred after her rescue. That may have been her own fault though. The dream had been an intense memory from his point of view, but she too recollected what had happened.

She had seen the day that the strange bond between them had developed. He had been at the height of his power and she had been an over confident Jedi Padawan who thought she could stand against him. With arrogance of a true novice, she had told him that it was impossible for him to win. How little she had known of his power. If Darth Malak hadn't betrayed his master and fired up Revan's flagship, she would have died by his blade.

The intensity of the dream had frightened her. It was possible that she had closed her mind to the bond because of it. In the near future, she would need to meditate on the matter and try to reopen herself to it. There was nothing he could do. At the moment, he had no control over the Force whatsoever. All of the control was in her hands and she needed to act responsibly, as her master would expect of her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her as she approached.

"I'm fine," she said coldly as she stalked passed him.

The two followed the sound of blaster fire and soon found their companions. A conflict had broken out between Davik's security forces and their crew. Canderous was pretty much the heart of the battle. He was the one who had killed the most so far and seemed to be enjoying himself. The others watched him darkly.

This continued for some time until they opened a door to search a room and found Davik's torture chamber instead. Two small hovering droids seemed to be operating the controls. A torture cage had been set up in the corner of the room, where a man dressed in rags was screaming. It looked like the cage was electrocuting him, but with a charge that was so weak that it would be nonfatal. Carth and Revan were the first to react. They both drew their blasters and fired off three shots each. Both of the droids exploded, removing them from Bastila's path. She begin to type at the computer, but could not override the commands that had been preprogrammed.

"Help!" she cried to the others.

"Move," Mission cried as she quickly began keying in general override codes that she knew worked universally. She pulled a small computer spike from her belt and inserted it into the computer's input port. The spike quickly began to work through the computers programming, giving her all access. Instead of sifting through commands in order to shut down the cage, she simply deactivated the entire system.

The cage shut down and the man who had been inside the cage stepped out shakily. He looked around the room and nearly broke into tears. "Thank you!" he cried. "Thank you! You have no idea what it was like inside of that cage! I couldn't take much more. Look, I don't have anything to give you, but I can say this. I used to be the pilot to Davik's flagship, the Ebon Hawk. I know how to get passed his security. You could steal the ship and make a fortune!"

"You should go before the guards come," Revan advised.

The young man thanked them again and fled from the room. Bastila turned to Revan, who nodded back at her.

"We got what we came for," Canderous stated. "We should get going."

"Right," they all agreed.

The Padawan felt a tremor in the Force before anyone else knew what was happening. "Bloody hell," she swore. Just as the words left her lips, the entire estate began to shake violently. All of them had to fight to keep their balance and Mission flat out fell over. Zalbaar was quick to assist her, but another tremor shook them all.

"What the hell is going on?" Carth cried out.

"It's Malak!" Bastila stated, suddenly feeling the dark malice that was radiating from miles away. "He's destroying the entire planet!"

"What?" Mission cried out. "He can't!"

"He is," Revan said, using his sword to balance himself.

"We have to move quickly!" Canderous shouted. "The hangar is this way!"

He quickly led the way towards their salvation, dispatching a few droids along the way. Bastila used her lightsaber to melt the locks that sealed the door to the hangar. They slid open and the companions all rushed forward.

Suddenly, a cannon blast tore through the roof of the hangar, bringing rubble and debris down before them. "Damn those Sith!" Davik swore loudly as he came out of the Hawk. "I knew they'd turn on us eventually…" the crime lord trailed off as he saw the company standing in the room. "Well," he crooned with a smile. Calo Nord came out of the ship and frowned when he saw Canderous's crew. "So, you thought you'd steal my ship for your get-away and leave me high and dry while the Sith turn the planet into dust? Sorry, but that ain't gonna happen!"

"I'll take care of them, Davik," Nord said as he stepped forward and drew both of his blasters. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time." His eyes turned to Canderous, who almost smiled back at the challenge.

"Make it quick, Calo. The Sith mean business," the crime lord warned his bounty hunter. If we don't get on the ship and get somewhere safe, the bombs they're dropping will kill us all!"

Calo took aim and fired three precise shots in their general direction. The Jedi Padawan jumped forward, igniting one end of her amber colored lightsaber. She struck all three of the shots with a wide sweep of her saber, causing them to ricochet throughout the room.

"Get to the Hawk," she ordered. "I can handle these two!"

"Um, Bastila," Mission said. "They're kind of in our way," Mission pointed out.

"Ugh," the Padawan fumed.

Using the Force to assist her, she leapt across the room and cut Davik's blaster out of his hand and delivered a swift kick to Calo Nord's stomach. He stumbled back and she turned to the crime boss. He didn't last long. She used the Force to fling him away from the Ebon Hawk, into Nord. The two criminals pulled themselves to their feet and Davik stepped forward, pulling a small knife from his belt.

Another cannon blast tore through the roof and incinerated Davik as he approached. Both the Jedi and the bounty hunter leapt away from to avoid the blast. "You may have me outnumbered and outgunned, but if I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me. This thermal detonator will blow us all to dust!"

He flung the small device at the Jedi, hoping to kill her and remove the companion's best fighter. His naïve attempt proved to be his downfall however. She threw the bomb back at him with the Force and it detonated right in front of him.

The others had already made their way into the ship as the blast went off, rocking the hangar. The Jedi used the Force to pull a shield around her. The explosion from the small sphere nearly penetrated her defenses. She held out as long as she needed to before dropping the barrier and boarding the ship. She blew passed Mission and Zalbaar, running into the cockpit.

The ship began to lift into the air and reversed out of the hangar. Through the windshield, the three of them could see the planet burning around them. The entire Sith fleet's artillery was raining down on Taris, slaughtering the citizens below. They looked on in horror as Carth navigated between the red beams of death. Once he understood the controls of the ship, the Hawk shot forward, breaking through the planet's atmosphere.

"Plot a course for Dantooine!" The Jedi ordered. "There's a Jedi Enclave there where we can find refuge!"

An alarm went off and Carth looked down at the radar. "Incoming fighters!" he announced. "Quickly, to the gun turrets! You have to hold off the Sith fighters until those hyperspace coordinates are punched in."

Revan quickly ran to the back of the ship where the turrets are posted. Soon, the fighters began to drop off of the radar as they were destroyed. Carth continued to key in the commands. "Going into hyperspace!" the pilot warned everyone.

The Ebon Hawk shook violently as the tunnels of hyperspace engulfed the ship and it shot forward. They were safe.


	3. Decisive Action

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter III: Decisive Action**

"We should be safe from Malak here, for now at least," Bastila assured Carth and Revan regarding the planet Dantooine.

She was trying to think analytically. They needed supplies anyway. The meager provisions from Taris and the food that had been on the Ebon Hawk already were nearly gone. She explained to the others that they needed to regroup and form a plan, but in reality, she needed to discuss what had occurred on Taris with the Jedi Council. They would be interested to hear of Revan's progress.

"I must meet with the Jedi Council," she confessed to the others. "Once I have spoken with them, I will contact you."

"Alright," Revan agreed.

She nodded at him and left the ship. Once she stepped off of the Ebon Hawk, three Jedi approached her, each with an active lightsaber in hand. She raised her hands to show that she meant no harm. "Calm down," she said calmly. "It's me, Bastila."

All three of the Jedi instantly recognized her. "Bastila?" Belaya, an old friend of hers gasped. The other woman quickly deactivated her saber and nodded to the other two. "You're alive?"

"Yes," she replied. "I must speak with the council. There has been a development."

"Of course. They have been getting anxious awaiting you."

"I can understand why," the Padawan said with a nod.

As she walked through the corridors of the small enclave, several whispers of her return began to follow her. The Jedi were relieved to hear that she was alive and well. By the time she reached the council, they had already heard and assembled in their chamber. She entered the room alone and saw the four older men waiting.

These four men were her idols. She had been raised on Dantooine and as such, she had come to see them as the true council of the Jedi. The council on Coruscant were so far away that they were practically nonexistent. These men were her leaders.

"Greetings, Bastila," Master Vandar said warmly as she approached them. "It is good to see you are well."

"Thank you, Master Vandar," she replied with a nod.

"We were most upset when we heard about the destruction of Taris," Zhar Lestin, the pink skinned Twi'lek added. "We feared the worst."

"Escaping was difficult," she explained. "Darth Malak's fleet was already firing on the planet when we took off."

"It's impressive that you managed to escape at all," Vrook stated.

"I wouldn't have," she answered. "My companions proved to be most helpful in that respect."

"Companions?" Vandar's question begged an explanation.

"Several," she responded. "I allied myself with Carth Onasi, a commander aboard the Endar Spire, as well as two locals: a Twi'lek and a Wookiee. There was also a Mandalorian, who nearly compromised the mission on several occasions and an astromech droid that we purchased."

"What of the Dark Lord?" Dorak pleaded. "Is he alive?'

"He and Carth Onasi were together when met with him. He is aboard the ship that just docked in the landing pad."

"So all is not lost?" Vandar said thankfully.

"And what is your opinion on the situation?" Dorak spoke. "Can Revan be redeemed?"

The last few weeks had given Bastila quite a bit of time to meditate on that very question. She honestly wasn't sure. True, Revan had shown that he was willing to defend the weak and innocent from those who would persecute or conquer them, but there were other factors that needed to be considered. First, Revan was an adult now. It would be no different than accepting anyone else who was passed their early years into the order. Adults were not accepted due to their solid mind set. They already had their own beliefs and thoughts. Their mental habits had already been developed. This meant that their own tendencies, such as anger management and passions could lead them to the dark side.

Bastila did not agree that it was impossible to become a Jedi after a certain age. In fact her own master, whom she loved and respected, had been an adult and had had a child before becoming a Jedi. Now both she and her daughter were distinguished members of the order. Their names were known throughout space. It would be difficult to prove that adults made bad Jedi when this woman had played a pivotal role in the wars against Exar-Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma.

Still, Revan was different. He wasn't the same type of person as the young Padawan's master. He was arrogant and reckless. He had blown up a building in the middle of upper Taris to cover their escape. Why couldn't he have just erased the security records? It was kind of a moot point, but his actions to throw the Sith off of their trail had been a public display, which didn't compute in her mind. Furthermore, Revan seemed to like fighting, which was very dangerous. He was talented too. Love of violence and skills were a dangerous combination. The Jedi had overlooked these flaws once and billions had died as a result.

She related all of these fear and concerns, along with a list of every just action that the reprogrammed Sith Lord had committed since his crash landing on Taris. In addition to the myriad of selfless deeds he had performed on the now decimated backwater world, Revan had show a great deal of concern for his crew after their escape. The Twi'lek, Mission, had taken the loss of her home rather badly. It had taken them four days to travel from Taris to Dantooine and the young alien had spent most nights awake crying. Bastila had tried to council her, but the teachings of the Jedi did not seem to comfort her. One night, Revan came into the port dormitory, where she and Mission slept, and cradled the young girl in his arms until she had fallen asleep. He had spoken to her of better times and they had discussed Mission's elusive brother, Griff Vao.

A frightening aspect of their conversation had been Mission's need for revenge. It may had been nothing to worry about, but Revan had responded by saying "Malak will pay for what he did, Mission." It was an obvious cause for concern. He might have meant that the Dark Lord would receive his just due eventually or it might have been a promise to help the young girl get revenge.

Upon hearing all of this, the council discussed the matter privately for many minutes. At last, they all nodded their heads in agreement and turned to her. "Padawan Bastila, please bring Revan before us."

"Yes Masters," she said with a bow.

When Bastila returned to the Ebon Hawk, she found Carth and Revan engaged in a game of pazaak to pass the time. She approached the two and looked Revan in the eyes. He looked tired. His emerald green eyes were bloodshot and lines had formed around them.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I didn't sleep well," he explained. "What did the council say?"

"They've requested an audience with you," she replied. "We should go at once."

"An audience with the Jedi council?" Carth repeated flabbergasted. "That's pretty unusual for someone who isn't even a Jedi. What's this about, Bastila?" The air of surprise had vanished within seconds, only to be replaced by one of suspicion. The Jedi understood why Carth may not trust most people. He had been betrayed by a close friend and it had led to the death of his wife and son. Still, that didn't give him a reason not to trust her or any other Jedi. They were the good people in the Republic.

"I'm sorry Carth, but I cannot tell you. All I ask is that you trust in the Force and the wisdom of the council."

"I don't like being left out of the loop," he said severely. "but I'm not looking to get you into any trouble with the Jedi Masters. We'll do this your way for now."

"Thank you," she nodded to the soldier. "Come," she said to Revan. "They are waiting for us."

She turned away and he followed her closely. He caught up to her and spoke. "Trust in the Force and the wisdom of the council," he repeated.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I grew up on Derallia. The Jedi there were the only things that saved us during the Mandalorian Wars, but Carth isn't like that. To him, the Jedi betrayed him when Malak destroyed his home. He doesn't see the difference between the Jedi and the Sith."

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"If you're not going to tell Carth what is going on, don't tell him to trust the people he doesn't trust."

Bastila found this to be a rather odd thing to say. Why would Carth blame the Jedi for the destruction of Telos IV? They had rushed in to aid the survivors once Malak's forces had pulled out. She and her master had even been there. It was impossible to confuse a Jedi for a Sith. She shook her head. Revan must have been mistaken.

She walked back into the council chambers with Revan behind her. She took a spot in the room behind him as he approached the Jedi Masters. Zhar was the first to speak to him.

"Ah," he said warmly. "You are the one who rescue Bastila. It is appropriate that you are here. We have been discussing your rather special case."

"My case?" Revan repeated.

"I am Zhar Lestin, a member of the Dantooine Jedi Council. Serving with me are Masters Vrook, Dorak, and Vandar," he said as he pointed each one out.

"Let's get back to my special case," Revan suggested.

"Of course," Dorak agreed.

"Bastila tells us that you are strong in the Force," Zhar explained. "We are considering you for Jedi training."

Revan's eyes widened in disbelief and he even took an involuntary step backwards. "I… I would be honored," he stammered.

"Master Zhar speaks out of turn perhaps," Vrook interjected. "We need indisputable proof of your strength in the Force before we even consider accepting you for training."

"Proof?" Bastila gasped. "Surely the entire council can sense the power from this man… besides, I've already related the events that took place on Taris."

"Perhaps it was only luck," Vrook said as he crossed his arms.

"We both know there is no luck. There is only the Force. We can both feel the power in Bastila's companion, though it wild and untamed. Now that this power has begun to manifest itself, can we safely ignore it?"

Bastila wasn't sure what was going on. Maybe the council hadn't been in full agreement as to whether or not they should retrain Revan. Vrook clearly had doubts, while the rest of the council seemed to think it was the right thing to do. Still, the balding Jedi Master's doubt only increased her own insecurity in her decision. She was fearful that he could be the voice of logic amongst a den of desperate old men.

"What if we train this one and the Dark Lord should return?" Vrook was saying. "Training a child with an open mind is difficult. How much harder will it be difficult for an adult to learn the ways of the Jedi?"

"I'm willing to try my best," Revan replied. "I'm ready."

"Traditionally, the Jedi do not accept adults for training, but there are rare exceptions. As we said, you are a special case," Dorak added.

"I agree with Master Dorak," Vandar stated. "Many of our own pupils are leaving the order to follow the teachings of the Sith. We need recruits to stand against Malak. However, we should discuss this matter in privately. Bastila, you and your companion return to your ship. This is a matter for the council alone."

"As you wish, Master Vandar," the Padawan said with a deep bow to the masters. We shall return to the Ebon Hawk and leave you to your deliberations."

Bastila sighed as she started back towards the Ebon Hawk, Revan following her closely. Vrook's doubts were starting to ebb at her security.

--

She was in a dark temple of some sort, ruins along the wall and a cold air biting at her lungs as she breathed. Two men were in the strange room. One was pacing back and forth, while the other simply leaned against the wall to the door. The one who could not seem to stand still was dressed in black armored robes that looked rather worn. His face was obscured by a faceless mask, which had a red center and red on the breastplate. A lightsaber was hanging from his belt. A worn cape that had once been black but was now a faded gray. His companion, a bald man who was dressed in a black skintight body suit with a thick brown breastplate as well as thick brown leather boots, stepped away from the wall. He turned back to his friend.

"The dark side of the Force is strong here," he said. "I can feel its power."

The man who kept himself completely covered walked over to the door and pressed on it with his hand. The rock door slid back and opened. "Are you sure this is wise?" the bald one asked. "The ancient Jedi sealed this archway. If we pass beyond this door we can never go back." He sounded nervous. "The order will surely banish us. Are the secrets of the Star Forge really so valuable? Can its power really be worth the risk?"

The two continued to walk forward until they came upon a small relic. It began to open up in four directions and a sphere began to lift into the air.

--

It was decided. Once Bastila relayed the story of her dream to the Jedi Council and explained how she had sensed Revan's presence in the dream as well, they came to a decision.

"How can we safely ignore this?" Vandar had asked. "His connection to the Force is already resurfacing. What if it redevelops? He may become a renegade."

With that said, Bastila sent word to the Ebon Hawk. Carth Onasi relayed the message to Revan once he woke up and the former Sith Lord proceeded directly to the council.

"Bastila has told us of a most unusual development," Master Vandar told the former Jedi when he entered the council's small courtyard. "She claims that the two of you have shared a dream, a vision of Revan and Malak in the ruins here on Dantooine."

"These ruins have long been known to us, but we believed them to be merely burial grounds," Master Dorak lied. "Perhaps they are something more than we first suspected. Revan and Malak found something there."

"How would Bastila know we shared a dream?" Revan asked as he folded his arms.

"Bastila says that she sensed your presence in the dream; the same presence she has sensed ever since-,"

"Master Vandar!" Vrook cried out.

This drew and alarmed look from Revan, but he did not question the Jedi Master's rude interruption. Instead he turned back to the small bronze alien, waiting for him to finish what he had been saying.

"Ever since Taris," he finished. "It is not unknown for this to happen to two people who are strong in the Force. Bastila has described this shared dream to us in great detail. We feel it is more than just a dream. It is a vision. The Force is acting through you as it acts through Bastila."

"So I'm having visions know?" the former Dark Lord asked as if it were a mere annoyance. This drew dark looks from both Vrook and Bastila, but he ignored them. His eyes were trained on the smallest of the masters.

"You and Bastila share a powerful connection to the Force… and each other," Zhar explained. "It is not uncommon. Connections often form between Master and Apprentice, but for such a bond to develop so quickly... it is rare."

"Whatever danger lies ahead, we cannot safely ignore the destiny that has been brought you and Bastila to us, together."

"Are you saying the two of us are joined?" he asked.

"The two of you have a powerful connection. Together, you may be able to stop Darth Malak and the Sith," the small Jedi replied.

"Don't let your head be filled with ideas of power and glory. Those are dark thoughts. The way of the light is long and difficult. Are you ready for such hardship?"

"You must see that there is little choice in the matter. It seems to be the will of the Force that you are here. You may the champion it has chosen to defeat the Sith."

"I'm ready," he said confidently.

"You're kidding?" Vrook chuckled.

"Malak is the Dark Lord of the Sith. His power is beyond what you know. He would kill you without thinking."

"Then what do you suggest?" Revan said with a violent step forward.

"I've watched countless men die by the Sith's hands. My brothers have fallen in combat because of Revan and Malak. If I can stop him, I will!"

"You're not ready," Bastila said as she stepped towards him. "It will take a Jedi to defeat Malak; a powerful one."

"I don't have time to sit back and learn how to be a Jedi," he snapped. "This war has to end."

"It will end if you run off and get yourself killed," Vrook said sharply. "Malak will win."

"The way of the Jedi is long and difficult, but necessary. You will need to be strong if you are to face Malak."

"Fine," he gave in. "Then let the training begin."

--

"Padawan Bastila," Master Vandar interrupted as he entered the room, along with Master Zhar Lestin. Both she and Revan looked up, their swords falling to their sides as the duel was interrupted. She let out a long deep breath, while Revan stabbed his weapon into the ground in impatience. He had had her on the run and was annoyed by the distraction. It wasn't very often that he found himself besting her in combat. "I'm sorry to intrude," the small bronze alien said as he approached. "but a rather urgent matter has been brought to our attention. Master Zhar will continue with Crownguard's training for today."

"As you wish, Master Vandar," the Padawan said as she held up the dueling vibroblade for the Twi'lek. He took it and walked over to speak with Revan. Vandar gestured for her to follow him. He led her out of the room and back into the council courtyard.

"What is it, Master Vandar?" she asked as soon as they were alone. "Does the Republic need my Battle Meditation?"

"No," he replied. "Malak's fleet is being held off near Corellia. The liberation of Honoghr is also going well, for now."

"Then what is it? Does this have to do with Revan?" she pressed.

The small Jedi Master shook his head again. "Rumors reached Coruscant that the Sith had sent Dark Jedi to Rhen Var in order to search for any Force imbued artifacts that may have been left behind by Ulic Qel-Droma after his redemption. Malak's own apprentice was said to have been leading the mission."

"Malak's apprentice? I wasn't aware that he had taken an apprentice since he usurped the mantle of Dark Lord."

"Yes," the Jedi Master agreed. "One of our own brethren; one we lost to the Mandalorian Wars."

Bastila knew of course what Vandar meant by "lost to the wars." This man had not been killed in the wars, but had gone to war and left known space with Revan and Malak during their hunt for Sithhood.

"His name is Darth Bandon," the little alien explained gravely. "Powerful in the dark side. He is a savage warrior."

"Did the Jedi respond to Rhen Var?" the Padawan asked urgently.

Vandar nodded sadly. Bastila suddenly knew what had happened. It suddenly clicked in her mind. "Rhen Var," she repeated. "Ulic Qel-Droma…"

"Master Sunrider took it upon herself to stop the Sith. Darth Bandon… she's gone, Bastila."

Bastila's gray eyes were wide with shock. It wasn't possible. Nomi Sunrider had been one of the most powerful Jedi she had ever met. The woman had possessed a natural affinity for the art of Battle Meditation, a skill that she had passed on to her young apprentice. Bastila had known Nomi since she had been a very young girl. They had been paired together just after the young girl's arrival on Dantooine. Nomi had taken on the responsibility of nurturing the young girl as if she was her daughter. This thought brought another striking idea to her mind.

"What about Vima?" she asked suddenly.

"Vima was with the team on Rhen Var. She held off the Sith forces until the Republic arrived, but Bandon cut her down as well."

Bastila was silent. Her first instinct was to be angry. Bandon had taken the woman who had raised her away from her. He deserved to pay for that. She would hunt him down and exact revenge on the Sith Lord. She clenched her fists and began to pace back and forth. Her breathing became deeper as she tried to control the storm that was welling up inside of her. Slight whimpers of frustration escaped her. She could feel Master Vandar's eyes burning through her.

"I'm shaking," she said to herself as she looked at her own hands.

"Master Sunrider is now one with the Force, Padawan. You cannot grieve for her now."

_I miss her! _Bastila thought angrily. She shook her head closed her eyes. It had been so long since tears had formed for her. She had thought that they had all dried up years ago. Apparently she had been wrong. They were beginning to escape from her and trickle down her cheek. Before the Jedi Master could see her, the younger Jedi wiped the tears away and hardened herself.

"I'm alright," she told him. "I need to meditate on this. I'll resume Revan's training tomorrow."

"Padawan, be careful of your feelings. Master Sunrider will be missed, but you can not let that affect you."

Bastila's fist tightened even more. How could this not affect her? Nomi had been her best friend. She couldn't just forget about her.

"I… I have to go."

She turned away from the small Jedi and stalked off, a trail of sorrow in her wake as she went. Vandar looked after her, his floppy ears sagging. His large glassy eyes were darkened by the Padawan's feelings of emptiness and despair.

**Sorry about the slow update. School's ending and work is starting, so I'm a bit busy. Still, I hope to continue frequently. The next chapter will go into more details about Bastila and Nomi and stray from Revan's story a bit. **


	4. Always with You

The Diary of Bastila Shan

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter IV: Always with You**

"Come here, child," Nomi Sunrider called out affectionately as she chased after her young Padawan.

"No!" the young girl cried back stubbornly.

For someone so young, Bastila Shan was able to run quite quickly. The experienced and physically pristine Jedi Master had finally met a match. She followed the small girl around a corner, where she watched her dive under a hanging curtain to hide. Nomi chuckled at her Padawan's frantic efforts to avoid training. She smiled and walked up to the small curtain, pulling it aside. Bastila looked up at her shyly.

"Hi," was all she would say.

Nomi put her hands on her hips and looked at her Padawan sternly. "Bastila," she said. "We have work to do." The Jedi Master wasn't really mad at the young Jedi, but it wouldn't do to have the girl thinking she could get away with shirking her responsibilities whenever she wanted.

"No," Bastila said quietly.

"Bastila!" Nomi pleaded.

"Master Vrook is scary," she mumbled.

The fiery haired woman threw her head back and began to laugh at what the girl had just said. "Yes, he is," the older woman agreed as she hoisted Bastila into her arms and began to carry her back to her room. "But he's also a very wise man and you should listen to him. Bastila groaned at this, causing Nomi to chuckle again.

--

She and Nomi had been closer than most students and their masters. In fact, the Jedi Masters had frowned upon how close their relationship had been. They had said that the Jedi separated infants from their families for a reason and acting like a child's mother negated that. Nomi had ignored them though. She had claimed that there was some degree of inaccuracy when it came to the Jedi's policy on natural emotion. After all, she had grown up outside of the Jedi Order and had been married before becoming a Jedi. Her emotions had never led her to the dark side of the Force.

The Jedi had continued to haggle Nomi for her unorthodox teaching methods and she had continued to ignore them. They had even tried to separate Bastila and her master, but there had been serious complications. Nomi, her daughter Vima, and Bastila had all been vehemently against it. After threatening to leave the order if they took Bastila from her, Nomi also pointed out that she was the only living Jedi who could nurture and develop the Battle Meditation skill that had become apparent from her student. The Jedi had been forced to accept this.

Once Bastila was fourteen, the Mandalorian Wars broke out and Revan and Malak rallied the Jedi to their cause, Nomi was forced to return to Coruscant without Bastila. One of the Jedi Masters had left the council to fight with Revan. Nomi was elected to take his seat. Bastila's training was handed to Master Vrook, who had methods that were very different from Nomi. He worked hard to purge all of the emotions from his new student. Bastila was forced to accept everything Nomi had taught her about life in general as a lie. It had been a very difficult time for her. For months, she had gone to bed in tears. Eventually the pain died away. It was replaced with cold emptiness.

When she was eighteen, Bastila had entered the war with the Sith. She had never fought on the ground or directly with any Sith forces. In fact, her first experience with real combat hadn't been until she had boarded Revan's flagship. No, instead the Jedi and the Republic had seen fit to place her aboard heavy class cruisers that were heavily armed and well shielded. From there, she could use her Battle Meditation to turn the tides of battle against the Sith. This approach had proven so effective that she had been selected to be a part of the strike team that captured Darth Revan.

Upon her return to Dantooine, Bastila had been greeted by both Master Vrook and Master Sunrider. Vrook had been pleased with her work, but Nomi had been disheartened to see what her apprentice had become. The years had shaped Bastila into an arrogant and cold woman.

"You've become another typical Jedi," Nomi had said sadly.

Nomi had been a part of the team of Jedi Masters that had helped to reprogram Revan's mind and shape his personality. The council had allowed her to explain the mission to Bastila.

"Due to the Force bond that has developed between you and the Dark Lord, we're putting the two of you together. Use the bond between you to transfer your light to him and maybe you can save him." Nomi had paused before continuing. "And maybe he can save you."

"Save me?" Bastila had repeated. "Master Sunrider, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." It wasn't until later that Bastila realized that that had been the first time she had called Nomi by her official title in years. That had probably been why she had seemed disturbed when she spoke next.

"You're not the little girl I raised anymore, Bastila," the older Jedi had said. "The sweet little princess I knew is gone. I sincerely wish she would come back."

"I am an adult now," the Padawan had reasoned. "You can't expect me to be a child for you forever! Besides, I'm a real Jedi now. And you are acting very unprofessional. A Jedi shouldn't become possessive of their Padawan. You're not my mother."

Nomi had seemed seriously hurt by this statement. She had been on the brink of tears, now that her Padawan thought about it. Her next words had been spoken in a slow and pained voice. "You're stressed. I understand why you might be a little irritable. I know you're still the woman I know. Bastila, I hope you always are the kind, sweet, woman I raised. Even if you are an adult, there is no reason to let your feelings change. You don't have to become hardened against the world in order to grow up. In fact, the way I raised you as a child is who you'll need to be if you want to be a real woman." With a long sigh, Nomi shook her head. "You don't understand what I mean at all," she said with such pained sorrow. "I pray that one day you will."

From there, Nomi had finished briefing Bastila on her mission in a very impassive manner. For the first time since they had been paired together, Nomi and Bastila had acted as the Jedi expected a master and apprentice to act and it felt worse than any knife wound that Nomi had ever known. Bastila had sensed the sorrow that her former master had radiated and had been weary that such feelings could lead her to the dark side.

Now, almost eight months later, Bastila Shan wept for the first time in nearly four years. She still didn't understand why Nomi had expected her to remain a child for all time, but she was ashamed that she had been so harsh on the woman who had always treated her with the kindness and fondness that her real mother had not. Now Nomi Sunrider was dead. She had given her life to protect the memory of a man that she had loved, as had her daughter Vima. Although they hadn't had too much of an occasion to speak with one another, Vima Sunrider and Bastila had been good friends. It pained her to know that she had died trying to finish what her mother had started.

_What I should have finished. _

It had been three days since Master Vandar had given her the news. The first day had been spent in a sort of trance. She had not eaten or spoken the entire time. Despite her promise to resume Revan's training immediately, the masters had been respectful enough to let her grieve properly. The second day was similar, but near the end of the day she left to go check on Revan. He was sitting with Carth, discussing a son the soldier had once had. Neither of them had been informed of what had happened to Nomi, so they were both a little surprised to see the usually emotionless Jedi so depressed.

She had explained that it was due to a lack of sleep and had left. The third day had been the hardest. She tried to resume her duties and went to the library to find Revan, who had his nose buried in an old holobook that detailed the fall of Xendor and the origin of the Sith. The two had meditated together, but even this had proven to be very difficult for the Padawan. Her mind kept shifting back to Nomi. By lunch time, Bastila felt exhausted. She called on Belaya, a friend of hers, to continue with Revan.

Once she returned to her room, darker thoughts overtook the Padawan: thoughts of revenge. She booted up her computer and began to draw up holonet reports. She quickly found what she was looking for. Malak's apprentice wasn't a subtle man. He had been wreaking havoc along the outer rim for months now. Video footage from a Republic embassy on Zoist showed him using the Force to choke an entire security team. She studied his features carefully. He was a bald man and each image of him displayed a constant snarl. He kept his face clean-shaven, except for a small black goatee.

"Bloody bastard," she swore as she looked at the image on her computer's screen. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked into his dark brown ones. Her muscles flared and her fists clenched. She wanted to face him in single combat. The security footage showed that he used a double-bladed lightsaber. She was on even terms with him then and her mastery of the Force would be more than enough to slaughter him. She went to bed with hardened resolve that night.

As the night crept by, her resolve died and depression overtook her again. By the time she woke up, she felt even more exhausted than when she went to bed. The fourth day began was when things got interesting. Bastila stayed in bed. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her customary Jedi robes the night before. Her personal robes were lying on the ground and several food trays were scattered about. Around eleven o'clock, there was a knock at her door. With a great deal of effort, she dragged herself out of bed and answered. Revan was standing there when the metal door soundlessly slid open.

"Derik," she said with some surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Master Vandar just told me what happened," he replied. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine. She died doing her duty."

He looked at her analytically. "That doesn't make the pain go away," he responded.

"I'm a Jedi," she snapped. "I don't feel that sort of pain."

Revan stepped into her room and the door slid shut behind him. He looked around, somewhat perturbed by the usually clean Jedi's living conditions. After taking in his surroundings, he turned back to her and said, "You're also a human being."

"Being a Jedi supercedes that," she shrugged.

"You don't believe that at all," he pointed out.

"Of course I do," she said defensively. "Why wouldn't I?"

He fixed her with a stare. "You're eyes are red, so you've clearly been crying."

"I have not," she replied. "I think I have an eye infection."

Revan sighed and made a grim smile. "Bastila, you don't have to act like this doesn't hurt you," he told her. "I lost my mother a few years ago. Believe me, I know what you're going through."

_Your memories are all a fabrication! _She thought angrily. _You can't know what I'm going through!_

"My mother was killed by a band of thieves on Derallia, where I grew up. When she died… I didn't think I'd be okay ever again."

"Interesting," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I am fine. Loss is a part of life. I've accepted it."

"I can sense you're lying," he said.

"You can sense?" she repeated. "You're not even a real Jedi yet. You're powers are just starting to manifest and you can sense my feelings?" Anger was clear in her voice. "You aren't even a Padawan yet! You haven't even been accepted into the order yet and you presume to tell me what I'm feeling?"

Bastila stepped forward and slapped him clean across the face. "You do not know me, Derik Crownguard! I am one of the most respected and powerful Jedi of my age. You know nothing!"

Her breathing had become ragged as her rage had taken over. Revan looked at her. His chocolate brown eyes met her pale gray ones. They penetrated her and delved into the depths of her soul. She began to tremble. Her emotional wall broke down and a tear escaped her. It trailed down her cheek. He wiped it away with his finger before it fell and moved towards her. He opened his arms, but she backed away quickly.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

"I'm giving you a hug," he replied. "It's what normal people do when someone they care about is hurting."

Bastila didn't argue as he put his arms around her and pulled her close. She was too shocked by what he had said. "someone they care about is hurting." He cared about her? Why?

The two sat down on Bastila's bed and began to talk. Well, Revan did most of the talking. Bastila listened intently though. "My mother was a beautiful woman," he told her. "Her hair was like fiery curls and she was so strong." This description reminded her of Nomi, who had also been a fiery redhead who had usually worn her hair in curls. "She loved my father very much, but he died before I was old enough to know him." Again, this was similar to Nomi. Andur Sunrider had died when Vima had been just a child. Nomi had been forced to raise her daughter alone. "The two of us fought a lot before she died." His voice sounded harsh, as if he still blamed himself for some part of his past. "I went back to Derallia when I heard she was sick. It was the first time I had seen her in years… Before she died, she said something to me. She said, 'Derik, I hope you always are the kind, sweet, man I raised. Even if you are an adult, there is no reason to let your feelings change. You don't have to become hardened against the world in order to grow up. In fact, the way I raised you as a child is who you'll need to be if you want to be a real man."

Bastila's eyes widened. She looked at Revan disbelievingly. "Nomi," she whispered as she looked at the man before her. "Sh-she, she…"

"Bastila?" Revan asked.

"I… I need be alone," she said suddenly as she stood up. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he told her as he stood up. He turned back to her before he left and said, "I'm here if you need me."

He turned and walked out, leaving Bastila with the sudden realization of what had just happened. Nomi had been a part of the team that had reprogrammed Revan! Nomi had known that Bastila would be traveling with Revan! It all made sense. The Jedi Master had programmed her own thoughts and feelings and even some of her own memories into Revan. Nomi had died, but a piece of her was still alive inside of Revan.

"By the Force," she gasped as she realized what this meant. "Nomi intended to continue my training through Revan?"

That was an odd thought. The Jedi wanted her to train the Sith Lord while her deceased master wanted the Sith Lord to train her. It was somewhat ironic to think about, but what was she supposed to do? There was nothing she could do. It wasn't as if she could just draw the information out of Revan. He didn't even know it was there! He had no idea that Nomi Sunrider had written herself into his life as his own mother. The only thing she could do was study him. She had to resume his training as soon as possible.

--

Bastila marched into the courtyard the next day as Master Vrook was demonstrating how to correctly perform Ataru. "It is an aggressive form," the balding man commented as he swung his emerald hued lightsaber viciously at an invisible foe. "but one that has advantages if locked in combat with a single foe."

Neither of them had noticed her yet. To get their attention, she ignited one end of her golden saberstaff, attracting them with the snapping sound of the blade. They both looked up to see her.

"Bastila?" Revan asked.

"Padawan Shan, how are you feeling?" the Vrook inquired.

"Better, thank you Master Vrook," she replied. "The best way to learn is to by sight, isn't that correct, Vrook?"

Vrook frowned by hearing how Bastila had addressed him in such a casual manner, but nodded. That was a key lesson that he had always taught her. Both Jedi fell into the Ataru stance and leapt at one another.

**Okay, a rather short chapter, I know, but this was a pretty quick update. I hope you liked it. The last chapter was pretty much KOTOR verbatim, so I was getting a little bored writing it. I wanted to escape for a little bit. The next chapter will return to the main story with Revan becoming a Jedi and the test against Juhani. **


	5. Ruins & a Mission

**Note: I do apologize that I skipped so much of the actual game. While Dantooine is one of the better parts of it, there isn't a whole lot that involves Bastila during Revan's tests, so I decided to skip ahead rather than have a very choppy chapter that constantly jumps from point to point. **

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter V: Ruins & a Mission  
**

"Your training is now complete, young Padawan," Master Vandar spoke as he folded his hands and looked up at Revan thoughtfully. "And perhaps now it is time that we dealt with the dream that you and Bastila shared."

_Finally. _Bastila thought impatiently. Though she had been well aware that there was wisdom in retraining Revan before they set out to explore the ancient ruins where Revan and Malak broke the seal and strayed from the order, she was growing restless. She was eager to find out what it was that Revan and Malak had discovered within that structure. What had the ancient Jedi sealed away?

There was also a personal interest in the matter. She wanted to be alone with Revan. She needed to know what was inside his head. It had been several weeks since he had come to visit her during her depression, but she had not forgotten her discovery. Nomi Sunrider was alive inside of Derik Crownguard's mind and she needed to draw her old master out. Nomi had always been the wisest of all Jedi in Bastila's opinion, the time during their brief spat being the only exception. If she had implanted her own thoughts and memories inside of the Dark Lord, there was a reason. Nomi still had one last lesson for Bastila to learn and the Padawan needed to know what it was.

"When we heard of the ruins in your dreams, Master Dorak recognized it as one of a series of ancient structures here on Dantooine. This one in particular lies east of this enclave." The small alien's voice took on a darker tone. "We sent a Jedi to investigate, but he has not returned. Perhaps sending him in the first place was a mistake."

"The Force is guiding you through your visions. It may be that exploring the ruins is a task that is tied to your destiny. That is why the council has decided that you should be the one to investigate this. The secret to stopping Malak may be hidden within those ruins. You must investigate them and find what Revan and Malak were looking for."

"I'll investigate these ruins immediately," Revan replied with a bow towards the small Jedi Master.

"May the Force be with you," Vandar said warmly.

"Thank you, Master."

Revan turned away and Bastila quickly moved to follow him. "Do you feel ready?" she asked him.

"I've been ready for weeks," he replied confidently. "Let's go."

Bastila followed as he quickened his pace to the enclave exit. The droid droned that they had permission to exit and they were out. The Padawan looked out over Dantooine's plains and smiled. It had been some time since she had left the enclave for any reason. It was good to be out. As Carth had said several days ago, it would be good to get out.

Their journey to the ruins was relatively simple. There were still a few rouge kath hounds roaming about, but the two were able to quickly dispatch the beasts with their lightsabers. Once they reached the ancient structure, their luck turned. Four Mandalorian swoop bikes were parked outside and four men dressed in neo-crusader armor had set up camp outside of the Jedi ruin.

"Damn," Revan swore when he saw them. One of the Mandalorians looked up.

"Hey!" he called upon seeing the two Jedi. "Jedi!" he warned.

The other neo-crusaders looked up and saw them. One of them chuckled while the other three quickly armed themselves with vibroblades. The man who chuckled, the only one who was wearing the red armor of a Mandalorian commander, drew a Mandalorian long sword and stepped towards the two Jedi.

"Two Jedi," he said happily. "I will be glad to add your heads to those of the other Jedi I've killed and take two more lightsabers for my collection. I'll show you why we were feared during the wars, Jedi!"

Bastila pulled her saberstaff from her belt and ignited both ends as the three lower class warriors rushed towards her. This left Revan to contend with the leader. She heard his lightsaber activate, but didn't watch him leap at the Mandalorian. She was too busy deflecting a series of sword strikes and parries. Her preferred form, Ataru, would not be helpful against three foes. The aggressive nature of the form would probably get her killed. She needed to go on the defensive. She quickly switched to a variant of Soresu that worked with a double bladed saber. Her amber colored saber formed a shield around her body as she weaved it around herself.

Revan was having little trouble with the leader. His old skills were shining through. During his training, he had studied both the saber and Force forms of the four Jedi Masters within the enclave. He had been a quick learner to say the least. Generally, a Padawan would have to study a form for months before he or she mastered it. Revan had learned each in a day.

Bastila saw him begin to combat his opponent with Djem So, a mix between Ataru and Soresu. She viewed this as a wise choice for him. Hopefully he would be able to dispatch the Mandalorian and then aid her, because the three neo-crusaders weren't letting up. She needed to escape from them, but wasn't sure how. Ever since the Great Sith War with Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, Mandalorians had been trained to resist Force powers, making them immune to all mind tricks and nonphysical attacks. Using a Force wave would be ineffective and dominating their mind would be impossible.

"Bastila, heads up!" Revan called to her. She looked just in time to see the Mandalorian leader flying towards them. She swore loudly as she deflected the body with her saber, slicing it in half. Well, at least the leader was dead. Revan quickly moved to help her. Their combined skill was more than powerful enough to finish off their opponents.

"Mandalorians on Dantooine?" Bastila's accented voice sounded very angry. "Typical!"

"This is the third patrol I've seen," he explained as he searched the corpse of the leader. "This is the only commander I've seen though. Hopefully the rest won't bother us now that their boss is dead."

"Hopefully," she agreed, "What are you doing?"

"Looking," he replied as he took the pack from the shoulder.

"For what?"

"For these," he replied as he pulled out two long cylindrical shaped objects from the bag. "He mentioned a collection of lightsabers."

Bastila extended her hands and Revan set one weapon in each. She studied both of the inactive sabers before she nodded. "I recognize them," she replied. "This belonged to a Twi'lek named Delrun." She indicated her right hand. "And this was his Padawan's."

"The Mandalorians are bloodthirsty," he told her. "They learned a great deal about killing Jedi during the wars. They aren't the same well trained bandits they used to be. Their entire civilization had evolved around facing Jedi."

Not quite sure how Revan would know this, considering his memories of the war had been erased, she fixed him with a questioning stare. "How do you know so much of Mandalorian culture?" she inquired.

"Canderous," he replied simply.

She should have known. Before the two continued on, Bastila removed the power cells from the two lightsabers so they wouldn't accidentally ignite in her bag. She then stowed them away, making a mental note to hand them over to the council upon their return.

The ruins were cold. Bastila shivered slightly as they entered. She was slightly surprised, considering the heat of the day outside. Revan seemed unaffected by the cold. He was wandering about the room, taking it all in. They both recognized it as the place from their vision.

"Revan and Malak broke the seal when they came here," she told him as she approached the ancient doorway. "We should be able to-," With a wave of her hand, the door slid open noisily as the rock door scrapped against the tiled ground. They entered the next room. There were three doors. One was to the left, another to the right, and the last one was directly in front of them. There was a strange droid in the center of the room. Both of the Jedi ignored this however. Their eyes were drawn to the body of the Jedi Knight that was lying on the ground. Revan quickly bent down to check for a pulse, but there was none. His dour expression was all Bastila needed to understand what had happened. The Jedi, Nemo, was dead.

They didn't have time to mourn his loss. The droid in the center of the room began to speak to them in a strange dialect. Bastila, knowing Revan's talent as a linguist, turned to him, but he looked as confused as she was. The droid stopped speaking, leaving the two Jedi completely lost.

"I don't understand a word you're saying," Revan confessed to the droid.

The droid began to speak again, but in a different language this time. Bastila winced at the piercing sound of the dialect. It sounded like a rancor, but much sharper. "Still nothing," Revan said once the droid was finished.

"I think the droid is trying to communicate with us by cycling through a variety of languages. Those were two very different alien dialects."

"Cycling through languages we might now," the former Sith Lord muttered. "Try Basic!"

"I can replicate any of the languages of the slaves of the builders," the droid spoke in what sounded like an outdated form of the Selkath language.

"Wait, I got that!"

"I recognize this language as well," Bastila agreed.

"Manaan," Revan said confidently.

"Why would a droid on Dantooine be programmed to speak ancient Selkath?" she wondered aloud. Bastila kept an eye on Revan out of the corner of her eye. This is why the Jedi Council had reprogrammed his mind. This was the mission they were meant to complete. If anything in Revan's shattered memories would arise and prove useful, now was the time. Unfortunately, he looked as awed as she felt.

The droid was quick to answer her question though. It continued to speak in the same Selkath diction as before. "Communication was vital to ensure that the slaves constructed this temple according to the wishes of the builders." The droid seemed to study them for a moment before it continued. "But you are not of one of the slave species. Neither are you a builder. You are like the ones who came before."

"It must be referring to Revan," the Padawan said as she folded her arms. It always felt strange to refer to the Dark Lord as if he wasn't there. Still, she ignored this thought and continued with her line of thought. "The Dark Lord and Malak probably encountered this droid when they explored these ruins."

Revan stepped forward and approached the droid. "What are you doing here? Are you a guardian of some sort?"

"I am the Overseer," the droid replied. "The builders programmed to enforce discipline amongst the slaves while this monument to the power of the Star Forge was constructed. At project completion, all of the slaves were executed and I was reprogrammed to serve should a Builder return seeking knowledge of the Star Forge."

"What is the Star Forge?" Revan asked curiously.

"The Star Forge is the glory of the builders; the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might; a tool of their unstoppable conquest."

Revan and Bastila looked at each other and then back at the droid. "What is it exactly though?" he urged the droid.

"The Star Forge is the glory of the builders; the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might; a tool of their unstoppable conquest," it repeated.

"Yeah, but what is it?"

"The Star Forge is the glory of the builders; the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might; a tool of their unstoppable conquest."

"The droid is obviously not programmed with the knowledge we seek," Bastila said with a sigh. "The Star Forge sounds like a weapon of some sort, but it could be anything."

"It sounds like a weapons' manufacturing plant," Revan commented. "A place of power."

Bastila couldn't help but shiver at the slight tone of anticipation in Revan's voice. He sounded eager to find the Star Forge and she could only imagine why. "Beware your thoughts, Derik," she warned him. "Ideas of power will only lead you to the dark side." Revan fell silent, but continued to stare at the droid. The Padawan continued her line of thought, as if she had not been interrupted. "If it is a factory, that would explain how the Sith managed to amass such a fleet so quickly. Still, I suspect that the Star Forge is more than just a mere factory."

"Who are the 'builders' that you keep referring to?" the former Dark Lord asked.

"The builders are the great masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds. They are the rulers of the Infinite Empire and the creators of the Star Forge," droid responded.

Bastila thought about it for a moment. Nomi Sunrider and Vrook Lamar had both been advocates of learning through history, and as such, Bastila knew a great deal of it. Unfortunately, she had never heard of any "Infinite Empire" or their "Star Forge" but Revan and Malak clearly had an interest in it. Therefore, they believed that they did exist.

"The builders must be an extinct people," she mused. "though it is strange that there is no record of them. The Jedi Archives make no reference to them."

"They must be old then," Revan replied. "Dead and buried."

"The builders are everlasting; infinite. Nothing can stand against their power and the power of the Star Forge!" the droid interjected angrily.

"How long has it been since the builders constructed you?" Bastila asked the droid.

"My chronological marker has counted over ten full revolutions of this systems outermost planet since my construction."

It took a moment for this to register in Bastila's mind. Her eyes went wide and she did a double take. "Ten revolutions?" she gasped. "Ten revolutions would take more than twenty thousand years! That would make this droid more than five thousand years older than the Republic itself! The droid must be damaged!"

"I'm not so sure," Revan said as he scratched his head. "Think about it. Neither of us have heard of the empire it's referring to. The Selkath dialect it's using is ancient. It makes sense that this thing would be pretty old. The fact that it predates the Republic itself isn't really a huge surprise. I doubt there's a mistake."

"There is no mistake," the droid answered. "The builders constructed my chronological marker using technology from the Star Forge itself. My calculations are infallible."

"According to your calculations, what are the chances that the builders could be wiped from the face of the galaxy?" Revan asked sarcastically.

"There is a zero percent chance! The builders are infinite. They are forever!"

"Real infallible," he muttered.

"Was a reason for that?" Bastila asked impatiently.

"Not that I can think of," he replied. "Tell us about the two men who came here before us," he ordered the droid.

"The ones who came here before were not builders. They sought knowledge of the Star Forge and its origins. They proved themselves worthy. They discovered the secrets that are locked behind the sealed door, but there was another who came. He was not worthy."

"The droid must be referring to poor Nemo," Bastila said darkly.

"Enter the proving grounds to prove yourself worthy of the secrets of the Star Forge," the droid ordered. The two doors on either side of the room slide open. Revan and Bastila looked inside both rooms. There was a droid similar to the Overseer in each room and a computer terminal at the end of each. They decided to go to the left first.

"There's nothing to prove here," Revan commented.

He spoke too soon. The droid in the center of the room began to hum as its systems booted up. A red over shield came up and it began to scan the room. It found the two Jedi and immediately became hostile. Two small cannons appeared and it began to fire blaster bolts at the two Jedi.

"Damn it!" Revan swore as he fell back, activating his azure lightsaber. Bastila pulled out her weapon, but her companion stepped in front of her. "It's just a droid. I can handle it. Check the computer," he ordered.

Bastila did as she was instructed and made her way to the computer. It activated quickly, which was surprising considering how old it looked. It took her a few moments to get the machine working, but after solving a brief puzzle, the words "Life Seal Broken" appeared on the screen.

The droid Revan was facing deactivated. He kept his weapon active as they went into the next room. Before the droid could boot up, Revan hurled his saber at it. It cut through and the machine exploded on impact.

"Clever," Bastila said as she went to the computer.

"I try," he replied as he closed down his lightsaber.

A moment later, they both heard the sound of a large door scraping across a rocky surface. They went back into the main room and walked forward into the final room within the ruins. It strange relic from their shared dream was in the very center of the room. As they approached, it began to open up and a the small sphere in the center hovered into the air. It began to project what looked like a sort of map into the air. Bastila studied it closely for a moment before nodding.

"What is it?" Revan asked.

"This is a map," she replied. "Some sort of navigational chart. Revan and Malak must have used this to find the Star Forge. We could use this map to follow their path and find the Star Forge ourselves. We must be wary though. I doubt they left the maps unprotected." She studied the map closely for a moment before pointing. "Do you see this world here? It looks like Korriban. Maybe that's why the dark side runs so strongly there. And this… this looks like Manaan. And this is Kashyyyk. And on the outer rim is Tatooine."

"The map is missing pieces. Hyperspace coordinates that we need aren't there," Revan pointed out.

"Yes, but maybe these other worlds contain some clues to filling in the missing pieces."

"It's worth a try," he replied.

"We must inform the council of this," she said as she began to walk away. "They may be able to tell us more."

--

"We cannot tell you more," Master Vandar said to Revan and Bastila as their meeting was about to end. "The Star Map in the ruins showed you four planets. You must go to each one and seek clues that may lead you to the Star Forge. We believe that there may be similar Star Maps on other planets. The council hopes that at least one map will be complete enough to lead you to the Star Forge."

"I will leave at once," Revan replied eagerly with a bow towards the Jedi Masters.

"Our numbers have dwindled since the beginning of this war. Though this mission is of the utmost importance, we cannot send a company of Jedi Knights to fulfill the task. A large group would draw the attention of Malak and the Sith."

"You want me to do this alone?" Revan sounded somewhat disbelieving and the respect due to any Jedi Master was missing from his voice.

"Secrecy is our best defense against the Sith, but it would be foolish to send you on this quest without someone to aid you, young Padawan. Bastila will accompany you." Bastila nodded at this and moved to stand by Revan's side. "Juhani has also asked to accompany you on this mission. After much deliberation, we have granted her request."

"Don't worry," Revan replied. "I'll watch out for her."

"Juhani fell to the dark side. Perhaps her presence will serve as a reminder to you of the dangers of that path," Vrook stated.

"What about the people who I worked with on Taris?"

"Of course you are welcome to bring them as well. I believe they will serve as a great asset to you," Dorak answered.

"You will not be able to hide the fact that you are a Jedi. Nor should you, but the true nature of your mission must not reach Malak's ears," the small bronze alien warned.

"It won't," the former Dark Lord responded. "I'll be careful."

"You should leave as soon as possible," Vrook spoke. "The longer you wait, the stronger Malak becomes. Still, take this warning. The lure of the dark side is strong. I fear this quest to find the Star Maps may lead you down an all too familiar path."

"May the Force be with you," the Jedi Masters all spoke.

"And with you," Bastila replied.

The two Padawans bowed and turned away. Once they were clear of the council chamber, Revan sighed and his face split into a wide grin. "Finally!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"I'm sick of being stuck here in this enclave," he replied. "I need my freedom!"

"Freedom? You were not a prisoner," she remarked.

"Close enough," he replied. "The council forced the Jedi training on me, not that I'm complaining. That damn security droid wouldn't let me leave the grounds until I had to go find Juhani, and the Ebon Hawk was impounded. What would you call that? I was waiting for them to execute me in some ritual ceremony."

"The Jedi wouldn't have harmed you, even if you had been a prisoner. The Jedi do not kill their prisoners."

"Then why did you kill Revan?" he pointed out.

Bastila scowled at him and then picked up the pace, leaving him behind. That was not something that she was inclined to discuss with him. She entered the courtyard, where Juhani, Carth Onasi, Canderous Ordo, Mission Vao, and Zalbaar wee all waiting.

"The Jedi pulled us out of the ship. They said you had something to explain to us," Canderous said as the two Jedi approached.

"I'll explain once we're in transit," Revan replied. "Carth, how fast can you get us to Tatooine?"

"Shouldn't take us more than a week if we can take the Ebon Hawk," he replied.

"Good. Everyone get on board and strap in. We've got a hell of a job in front of us."

"Just tell me this," Carth demanded as he stepped forward. "Are we going after Darth Malak?"

"Yes," Revan replied.

_And Darth Bandon. _Bastila thought to herself subconsciously.

"Then I'm in," the pilot replied.

"Let's go," Mission squealed. "It's time for payback!"

"Yeah!" Carth agreed. "Let's bury that Sith bastard!"

"All of you, calm down. Such thoughts-,"

"Oh leave it alone, Bastila," Revan interrupted. "We're not under constant supervision anymore. No need to be perfect Jedi."

She looked at him angrily as he walked by her. "May the Force help us," she muttered.


	6. Anchorhead

**The Diary of Bastila Shan**

**Chapter VI: Anchorhead**

_Another Star Map was beginning to activate. It was surrounded by bones and other remains. The place when it was hidden was rather dark. The light from the map cast an eerie light throughout the room. _

--

Bastila groaned as she stat up. The Force had sent her another vision. This probably meant that Revan had seen it as well, seeing as how it was technically his memory. She groaned again as she rolled out of her small uncomfortable bunk and took in her surroundings. She twisted her back and was satisfying when she heard a loud series of cracks. The bed was very uncomfortable and she was fairly certain that it would ruin her back if she kept sleeping in it. She wasn't used to calling the Ebon Hawk her home yet. She was also not accustomed to sharing sleeping quarters with two girls as different as Mission and Juhani. The two alien women squabbled often, despite the fact that they both had so much in common. Both had felt the sting of racial segregation for being alien. In fact, they had both grown up on Taris, where racial injustice was at its peek. Also, both had endured the torment of men due to their feminine features. Most importantly, both had lost their home when Taris was destroyed. She couldn't understand why they fought so often.

The biggest problem between the two was their maturity level. Despite her claim to adulthood, Mission was obviously a child. She constantly whined about what she wanted and she was always complaining about how things were not fair. She also had a very annoying habit of asking questions about everything. This inquisitive nature wouldn't have upset the Cathar woman so much, except that she had begun to try to dig her way into personal and sensitive information. Juhani had recently revealed that she had been up for auction as a slave when she was a child. Before being put up for auction, her owner former owner had molested her several times. Mission, being at the age where her hormones were beginning to develop, was quite curious about the incident. Juhani had not been very receptive and had snapped at the young girl. Once the sexual education questions phase had passed, she had moved onto her curiosity about Jedi. She constantly bombarded the alien Jedi with questions about her fall to the dark side and why she had attacked her master. After that, the questions had become more menial.

"Juhani, why do you only have one lightsaber?" or "Juhani, can you use the Force like Derik and Bastila." Then "Juhani, when you were evil, did you wanna fight Malak so you could become Darth Juhani?"

All of this had become too much for the poor Jedi and she had snapped at Mission. She had threatened to take her lightsaber and use it to cut the Twi'lek into small bits that the rest of the crew would eat for dinner for the next several bits. Bastila had been forced to intervene and remind Juhani of the Jedi Code, whilst Revan dealt with Mission. In the last few weeks since they left Dantooine, Revan had sort of become Mission's babysitter, a position he greatly resented.

Now that she considered it, Bastila completely understood why the two didn't get along.

She changed into her own personalized Jedi robes and quickly fixed herself for the day. She clipped her double bladed lightsaber to her belt and took a quick look in the mirror. With a nod, she moved out into the main room of the Ebon Hawk, where the holotable and computer were located. She could see Revan and Carth bent over something in the hallway. Neither of them looked happy.

"Got another one!" Canderous called from the garage.

"Damn it," Carth swore. "That's eleven!"

"There were only ten in the package!" Mission called from the storage room.

"They're multiplying," Revan sighed as he stood up. "There's only one way to deal with this. T3-M4, activate the Ebon Hawk's self destruct system!"

The droid beeped an affirmative as it rolled towards the holotable. "What?!" Bastila shrieked as she stepped towards the droid. "No, don't! What's going on?"

Revan looked up at her, a small creature in his hand. He was holding it by one of its feet and she had the feeling that it was dead. "We've got an infestation," he told her. "Gizka."

"Gizka?" she replied. "You want to blow the ship over an infestation of rodents?"

"Well it was a joke," he replied.

"Probably the only way we could get rid of them though," Carth muttered as he holstered his blaster pistol.

"The droid doesn't understand jokes, Derik," she screamed as she put her hands on her hips.

"That's too bad," Revan muttered as he tossed the dead gizka onto the table. "We should buy a droid with a sense of humor."

"I've got another one," Canderous announced from the garage. "Blowing up the ship doesn't sound like a bad idea," the Mandalorian stated as he came into the room and tossed two dead Gizka onto the table. "What's the plan?"

"I don't have time for this," the former Sith Lord grunted. "Juhani, where are you?"

"I am here," the Jedi Knight replied as she entered the room via the cockpit.

"Can you handle the rodents?" he asked.

"She's a cat isn't she," Mission muttered as she came in from the cargo hold. "Rodents are her thing."

Juhani hissed at the Twi'lek and approached her violently. "Juhani, calm down," Bastila snapped as she interposed her body between the two aliens.

"Yeah, don't fall to the dark side again," Mission jeered.

"That's it," Revan grunted as he grabbed Mission by the arm and started to pull her away. "You're coming with Bastila and I. Zalbaar, Carth, Canderous, Juhani, get rid of the gizka!"

Mission squirmed as Revan pulled her down the boarding ramp. He let her go once they were out of the ship and inside of the starport. Bastila shook her head as she followed the two of them. "Mission, what happened to Juhani was very traumatic and I would appreciate if you would try not to make fun of it in the future," the Padawan said sternly.

The aqua colored Twi'lek wasn't listening. Her mind had already jumped to the next thing. "Hey Bastila, do you ever use the Force just for fun? You know, a little jolt of the Force to trip up some jerk whose ticking you off?"

"What?" Bastila was indignant. "I would never use the Force for such petty and childish means!"

"Childish?" the Twi'lek flared. "Hey, you ain't that much older than me, Ms. High & Mighty. Just because you're a Jedi, doesn't mean you can be some prissy little bit-,"

Mission's last word was missed, due to the fact that she flew back about twelve feet and landed flat on her back. "Ouch!" she cried out as she stood up. "What the-," She glared at Bastila. "Hey, what was that for?"

"What was what for?" Bastila asked casually. "Mission, we have a very serious job to do. Such clumsiness could be the death of you one day. Please try to be more careful."

"What is wrong with you?" the Twi'lek screamed.

"Mission, seriously, knock it off!" Revan snapped. "We have work to do."

"Ugh, fine!" She grunted. "Stupid Jedi."

Revan and Bastila both ignored this and made their way out of the space port. Mission trailed behind them, taking in all of the sights and different stores around. While she did this, Bastila and Revan began to discuss the shared dream that they had had the night before.

"Well, the only clue we've got is that it's in a cave," the reformed Sith Lord was saying. "Which means we've probably got the wrong planet!"

"I'm not so sure," Bastila replied.

"But there are no caves here on Tatooine. It's all one big desert. The map we saw is probably on Korriban."

"I'm still not convinced," she answered. "Maybe there are unexplored parts of Tatooine that contain caves."

"Oh great. Just what we have time for – surveying an entire planet."

She was about to respond, but she suddenly stopped. She grabbed Revan by the wrist and pulled him back. "Derik," she hissed as she indicated what appeared to be a wall. He seemed to understand though, because his hand went to the lightsaber that was hanging at his belt. She could feel the presence of the dark side on the other side of the wall. There were at least three Dark Jedi over there.

"Mission," Revan called quietly. The Twi'lek hastened towards them. "Mission," he began urgently. "There are Dark Jedi on the other side of that wall over there. I want you to go into that building and wait until we come get you."

"What?!" the Twi'lek exclaimed. "I want to fight!"

"No!" Bastila snapped. "This is a Jedi battle. You'll only get in the way."

"No I won't!" she screamed as she drew her blaster pistol. She bolted.

"Damn it!"

Revan and Bastila ran after her, lightsabers drawn. Mission had already fired three blaster bolts at the Dark Jedi. They had retaliated by activating their own crimson hued weapons and deflecting the shots back at her. Revan had to move quickly to deflect the shots to random locations.

Bastila swung at the nearest Dark Jedi. He brought up his saber and blocked the attack. "Too slow, Jedi," he snarled.

Bastila didn't answer. She simply used the Force to hurl her opponent backwards. He skidded across the sandy ground and smashed into a wall. To finish the Dark Jedi off, she hurled her active weapon at him. He used his own powers to push it away and she called it back to her hand. He extended his hand and tendrils of lightning flew towards her. She brought up her blade to soak up to attack. For the most part it was successful, but a few of the bolts managed to lick her arms. She winced in pain, but kept her defense raised. The Dark Jedi increased the power of the attack. She was overpowered and her lightsaber was thrown from her hand. The Padawan rolled to avoid another volley of electricity and ducked behind a nearby barrel of oil outside the Swoop Track.

With a mental burst, Bastila sent the barrel flying at her foe. It flew towards him, but he sliced through it with his saber, not realizing what it was. The contents of the barrel doused him and he screamed when he realized what was happening. Bastila recalled her lightsaber and threw it at the metal sign on the building above her opponent. Sparks rained down on him. The oil was ignited and he screamed in agony as his body was incinerated.

A second Dark Jedi came at her, leaving her with no time to celebrate her victory. She moved to dodge, but Revan's cerulean colored blade intercepted the crimson one. Bastila looked up at him. His Dark Jedi was dead and the one they both faced now was alone. The two Jedi threw their palms forward, unleashing waves of Force energy at the single Sith. He slammed into the metal door of the Swoop Track, head first. The sound of a large snap filled the air. The battle was over and Revan closed down his lightsaber. Bastila looked to find Mission standing back behind them, her usual chipper smile on her face.

"What is the matter with you?" Bastila howled as she called her lightsaber back to her hand.

"What?!" Mission exclaimed. "I was only trying to help!"

"Mission, you aren't trained to fight Jedi," Revan explained calmly. "Canderous and Carth both have specialized training to resist Jedi powers. You don't."

"What, so that makes them better than me and Big Z?"

"No," he answered. "It's just that I need to work with you a little before you can help us fight against Sith like Malak and his apprentices."

"Ugh!" The Twi'lek was indignant. "I'm no help here! I'm no help on the ship! Why didn't you just leave me on Taris then!"

"Mission, it's not like that," the former Sith Lord tried to explain. It was no use. Mission turned and had run back towards a nearby cantina. The two Jedi turned and looked at each other and sighed.

"And she doesn't want to be treated like a child," he muttered.

"I'll go deal with her," Bastila offered. "Why don't you go explore. See if you can find any clues."

Revan nodded. He started off in one direction and she went towards the bar. The inside was packed with all different sorts of aliens and patrons. Mission was sulking on a stool in the very back. Bastila went over to her and took a seat on the stool beside her. "Mission?" she said unsurely.

"Go away!" the Twi'lek ordered.

"Mission, we have work to do. Stop acting like this!"

"Acting like what? Say it Bastila!"

Bastila was about to reply, but she suddenly felt a great deal of anguish in the room. She didn't know why this feeling felt so familiar to her. Pain and suffering were not new to her life, but for some reason, this felt different than anything she had ever felt. It had a foul feeling to it that she recognized. Her face contorted into a cringe, which Mission quickly picked up on.

"Bastila?" the young girl asked, her voice suddenly having shifted to concern.

"Bastila? Bastila Shan, is that you?"

Bastila and Mission both turned to see an elderly looking woman approach them. She was graying slightly and her face looked withered, as if she had been struggling with some great physical strain for a long time. Her gray eyes were tired and weak. This was a woman who had given up all hope long ago. Still, despite the change, the Jedi Padawan would have recognized this woman anywhere.

"Mother?"

"Oh my!" Helena Shan gasped as she looked at the daughter she had not seen in fourteen years. "It is you!"

"Mother?" Mission repeated. "This is your mom, Bastila?"

Bastila sighed. She couldn't do this right now. She couldn't contend with both Mission, who was acting like a child, and her mother, whom she had deeply resented ever since joining the Jedi Order. Her mind was not capable of dealing with the strain of both. It took her a moment to locate the bond between herself and Revan in her spirit. She had never used it to communicate with him before and she wasn't sure how well it would work. Still, she needed to try.

_Derik? Derik, can you hear me?  
_

There was no response for a moment. Then, after a pause, she could hear his reply.

_Bastila? Is that you?_

_There's no time to explain! I need you to come to the cantina and get rid of Mission now! _

_Alright, alright! I'll be right there!_

Bastila could only hope that the urgency she had screamed into the thought had reached him. She had a feeling that it had, but there was no way to be sure. Opening her eyes, the Padawan saw that her mother was looking at her strangely.

"What's the matter with you, girl?" Helena barked. "You haven't seen your mother in nearly fifteen years and your first reaction is to close your eyes and try to make me disappear?"

"No, Mother, I can assure you that I was not trying to make you disappear," the Jedi replied. "But now I have to ask. What are you doing here?"

"Can't a poor old woman die in peace?" her mother asked in return.

"You are not that old, Mother," Bastila sighed. "And where is Father?"

Helena's eyes darkened and she let out a long breath. "Your father is dead, Bastila. He was killed when he went on one of his hunting trips."

The force of Helena's words hit Bastila harder than anything she had ever felt before. Her jaw dropped and she stepped back involuntarily. Her head shook without her being aware of it. "Dead?" she repeated as she slumped into a stool at the bar. The Jedi Padawan was vaguely aware that Revan had entered the cantina and was escorting Mission out, but she didn't care. It didn't matter to her if the entire Twi'lek race was there or not. She wouldn't have noticed. "How? What did you do to him?!" the demanded as she pointed her finger at her mother.

"What did I do to him?" Helena was astounded. "How dare you? Your father brought me here to look for Krayt dragon pearls. He went on a hunt and died."

"Ugh!" Bastila grunted. "I should have known that you would be the death of him!" the Jedi shouted.

Helena was shaking her head in despair. "No, Bastila."

"Goodbye, Mother," she said as she turned away.

"Wait!" Helena cried after her daughter.

"What?" Bastila was about to round on her mother in fury. The older woman backed away fearfully, but her daughter stopped.

"Bastila, I have one favor. Please hear me out. You owe me that much after all these years!"

"I don't owe you a thing," she seethed.

"Please, Bastila! Your father would want you to help me!"

This sparked a flame inside of Bastila. It was murderous. She wanted to hurt her mother. The woman had been nothing but a vulture for years. Having a child had only been an inconvenience, but she had been determined to remove it. The Jedi had been eager to have her and her mother had been eager to be rid of her. It had seemed like a golden chance. Well, it was a mistake she would regret. No one deserved sympathy after doing the deeds that this woman had done.

There were two kinds of evil in the universe. First there was the kind of evil that had taken Nomi Sunrider from the galaxy. Then there was this. Helena Shan's selfishness and greed had robbed the galaxy of one of the world's best men. Then she had the nerve to use his name to try to persuade her daughter to help her. Unfortunately, she wasn't wrong. For whatever reason, her father had loved his wife. She couldn't betray him like that.

"What do you want?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Bastila, I want you to go into the desert and find your father's holocron. It's the only thing there is left of him."

"His holocron? How do you know if it's still in one piece?"

Helena Shan shook her head. "I don't, but I need to know."

"You said he was killed by a krayt dragon?" she asked.

"Yes."

"So you're willing to risk my life to find the holocron, but you won't go and find it yourself?" Despite her harsh words, Bastila had every intention of going into the desert to find the small device. Her mother was right. It was the only thing left of her father. Her mother was wrong about one thing though. He would have wanted his daughter to have it. There was no way she would hand it over to her mother. I'll get the holocron, Mother," she replied.

"Bastila, you have to know that I would get it myself if I could!"

"Then why don't you?"

Helena sighed. She had hoped to avoid bringing this up with her daughter, who clearly wouldn't care if she lived or died. "I'm sick, Bastila. I have a disease called Porgos. I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it."

"I haven't," her daughter admitted. "And it doesn't matter anymore. Goodbye, Mother."

With that, Bastila turned on her heel and stormed out of the cantina. When she came out, she was shaking with fury and sorrow. Her father was dead and her mother was sick. How could all of this happen, right after Nomi had passed away? Her thoughts took a darker turn. She thought of the image of Darth Bandon that she had seen on the holonet and her anger doubled.

"The Jedi teach that you must be without emotion and you will find peace." Bastila turned around and saw Revan coming towards her. Mission was standing a good five yards behind him. She looked somewhat dour and seemed to be avoiding Bastila. He must have told her to stay behind.

"What did you say?" she asked. His words sounded familiar.

"The Jedi teach that you have to discard your feelings to find peace in your life, but it's not true, Bastila. Love and friendship are two of the most peaceful feelings we can know."

The Padawan looked at the former Sith Lord. Nomi Sunrider had said the same thing when Bastila had been a child. It was another lesson that Master Vrook had beaten out of her when he had become her instructor. Why had Nomi programmed so much of herself into Revan? What was it that she needed to learn? Everything that he said that had come from Nomi defied the Jedi teachings. He was trying to teach her to listen to her emotions instead of controlling them. What was the point? Nomi had been a wonderful teacher and a good friend. She had taught her apprentice a great deal about life and the Force. Bastila wouldn't be nearly as skilled in the art of Battle Meditation if it weren't for Nomi, but now that she was dead, the Padawan had began to question her methods.

"Are you alright?" Revan asked her.

"We need to go into the desert," Bastila replied, ignoring the question. "There's something I need to find."

"You're in luck. We've been hired to deal with the Sand People for Czerka Corp. We have hunting licenses and can come and go as we please."

"Good. Let's go."

"Whoa, hold on. We still need supplies before we go out there. Oh, and T3-M4 blew a circuit. I need to go to the droid shop and buy a replacement for it."

"Be quick. We need to find my… ugh the Star Map."

Revan eyed her closely, but didn't argue the matter. Instead he nodded. "Let's go."

The droid shop was a relatively small building, but it had a vast assortment of parts and droid supplies dotting the walls and shelves. Mission had begun to search for the part that they needed, while Revan and Bastila had begun to speak with the owner, an Ithorian named Yuka Laka. There were a few droids here and there, but there was one droid in the far corner that was sitting alone. It was a large orange protocol droid that had been fitted with a restraining bolt. The droid was trying to convince them to purchase this particular droid and was having little luck.

"I just managed to acquire this droid," he was saying. "It's a very rare HK-47 droid!"

"I don't need a protocol droid," Revan replied. "I just want the part I'm looking for."

"But, the droid is a very skilled translator! It could serve as a middle man when you are conducting Jedi affairs!"

Revan shook his head again. "I can speak twenty-three languages by myself and the rest of my crew knows the few that I don't."

"But the droid is fluent in over six thousands forms of communication. Surely that would be valuable to you."

"We don't want the bloody droid!" Bastila snapped. "Do you have the part we're looking for or not?"

"Look at the droid," Yuka Laka pleaded. "It has been upgraded with armaments. It might even be combat ready?"

"We're Jedi," he responded. "We are more than capable of taking care of ourselves."

"I'll give you the droid for four thousand credits!" the Ithorian begged. "Please, I need the money! The functions I've tested work perfectly!"

"You don't know much about it. Why would I want it!"

"Statement: If you do not plan on purchasing this HK-47 unit, you are not permitted to touch me, according to… Master Yuka Laka."

Revan and Bastila turned to see Mission poking at the strange droid. "I like it!" she told them. "It called Yuka Laka a meatbag when I was talking to it."

"Uh… it does that occasionally."

"You should try talking to it," the Twi'lek suggested. "You'd learn a lot about what it does."

"Really?" the droid shop owner seemed surprised. "It never said much to me besides the occasional… well um never mind."

"Statement: A half witted technician like yourself could never understand my the functionality of a highly sophisticated droid such as myself."

"How much did you say?" Revan asked.

"Derik!" Bastila gasped. "Why would you want something like this?"

"Three thousand credits!" the owner offered.

"Done!"

"Derik, what do we need a droid like this for?" Bastila demanded.

"I told you," he replied with a smirk. "We need a droid with a sense of humor."


End file.
